Spotfin flyingfish (Cheilopogon furcatus)

Scientific name: Cheilopogon furcatus Mitchill, 1815

Spotfin flyingfish (Cheilopogon furcatus)

The Spotfin flyingfish (Cheilopogon furcatus) is a marine fish of the family Exocoetidae.

Biology

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 12-14; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 9 - 11. Body dark iridescent blue above, silvery white below; pectorals dark grey, with a broad pale margin crossed by a pale stripe becoming narrower toward anterior fin margin; pelvic fins pale. Juveniles up to 10-19 cm SL with dark bars on body and variegated paired fins.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Cheilopogon furcatus
Family
Exocoetidae (Flyingfishes)
Order
Beloniformes (Needle fishes)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
35.0
Common length
25.0
Depth range
0–20 m (0–66 ft)
Environment
Marine; pelagic-oceanic; oceanodromous; depth range 0 - 20 m
Climate
Tropical
Distribution
Widespread in tropical zones of all oceans. Western Atlantic: Massachusetts, USA to southern South America. Eastern Atlantic: equator eastward to 8?W, Cape Verde. Northwest Atlantic: Canada. Indian Ocean: widely distributed but absent from the Red Sea, northern Arabian Sea, and the Persian Gulf. Western Pacific: absent in inland waters of southeast Asia. Eastern Central Pacific. The distinction between Cheilopogon antoncichi and Cheilopogon unicolor awaits clarification.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
Resilience
High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.)

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

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