Needlefish (family Belonidae) are piscivorous fishes primarily associated with very deep marine habitats or the bottom of the open sea. Some genera include species found in marine, brackish, and freshwater environments (e.g., Strongylura) while a few genera are confined to freshwater rivers and streams, including Belonion, Potamorrhaphis, and Xenentodon.

Needlefish closely resemble North American freshwater gars (family Lepisosteidae) in being elongate and having long, narrow jaws filled with sharp teeth, and some species of needlefish are referred to as gars or garfish despite being only distantly related to the true gars.

In fact the name "garfish" was originally used for the needlefish Belone belone in Europe and only later applied to the North American fishes by European settlers during the 18th century. Needlefish are in fact members of the Beloniformes and therefore most closely related to flying fish, sauries, and halfbeaks.

Phylogeny.

Needlefishes are members of the Beloniformes and close relatives of the flyingfishes, halfbeaks, and sauries.

Needlefish are most common in the tropics but some inhabit temperate waters as well, particularly during the summer months  

Belone belone is a common North Atlantic species that often swims in schools alongside mackerel and typically grows to around 60 cm in length. It is easily caught with a baited hook, and is considered a good food fish despite having bright green bones.