Cheilopogon melanurus
Atlantic Flyingfish
Collection Details
Specimens
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Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Beloniformes
Exocoetidae (Flyingfishes)
Cheilopogon
Cheilopogon melanurus (Atlantic Flyingfish)
Description
This species account was compiled from
Composite (multiple sources) (McEachran, J.D. and J.D. Fechhelm. Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico. University of Texas Press, Austin.)
and processed using AI-assisted text extraction.
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Characters
Snout acute and shorter than eye diameter. Mouth oblique and does not extend to anterior margin of eye. Jaw teeth very small and unicuspid. Palatine teeth lacking. Gill rakers on first arch number 17 to 26. Snout length 3.2% to 8.7%, head length 20% to 27.1%, eye diameter 6.3% to 11.5%, interorbital width 7.1% to 8.8%, body depth 16% to 20.3%, snout to dorsal fin origin 65.3% to 71.7%, snout to anal fin origin 75% to 80.1%, snout to pelvic fin origin 51.8% to 56.9%, pectoral fin length 39.3% to 77.8%, and caudal peduncle depth 6.3% to 7.7% of SL. Pectoral fin extends beyond midlength of dorsal fin base and has 13 to 17 rays. Dorsal fin low (7.8% to 23.8% of SL) and has 10 to 15 rays. Anal fin originates below midlength of dorsal fin base and has 8 to 12 rays. Scales above lateral line number 6 to 9, and predorsal scales number 22 to 35. Vertebrae number 42 to 46.
Color dark dorsally and silvery ventrally. Pectoral fin dark, with pale crossband and lightly pigmented first ray. Crossband wider posteriorly than anteriorly and does not extend to anterior margin. Anal fin transparent, and caudal fin darkly pigmented. Juveniles (less than 150 mm SL) have low (less than 20% of SL) and unevenly pigmented dorsal fin, short (less than 10% of SL) mandibular barbels, and short (less than 38% of SL) first pectoral fin ray.
Distribution
Tropical to warm temperate Atlantic Ocean, from 42°N to 23°S, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea
Gulf of Mexico
Habitat Associations
Coastal species generally found within 640 km of the shoreline. Enters bays and estuaries
Biology
Eggs are 1.6 to 1.8 mm in diameter and have long tendrils
Generally found in surface waters near the coast (Ref. 5217). Capable of leaping out of the water and gliding for long distances above the surface (Ref. 3613).
Max length: 32.0 cm TL; common length: 25.0 cm TL.
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2013-01-29. Resilience: High (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Phylogeny and Morphologically Similar Fishes
Distinguished from other species of the family by the combination of characters
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: minor commercial.
References
Bruun 1935
Staiger 1965
Hoese and Moore 1977
Castro-Aguirre and Marquez-Espinoza 1981
C. R. Robins et al. 1986
Cervigon 1991
Boschung 1992
Breder, C.M. and D.E. Rosen (1966) Modes of reproduction in fishes. T.F.H. Publications, Neptune City, New Jersey. 941 p.
Parin, N.V. and R.H. Gibbs Jr. (1990) Exocoetidae. p. 583-591. In J.C. Quero, J.C. Hureau, C. Karrer, A. Post and L. Saldanha (eds.) Check-list of the fishes of the eastern tropical Atlantic (CLOFETA). JNICT, Lisbon; SEI, Paris; and UNESCO, Paris. Vol. 2.
Cervigón, F., R. Cipriani, W. Fischer, L. Garibaldi, M. Hendrickx, A.J. Lemus, R. Márquez, J.M. Poutiers, G. Robaina and B. Rodriguez (1992) Fichas FAO de identificación de especies para los fines de la pesca. Guía de campo de las especies comerciales marinas y de aquas salobres de la costa septentrional de Sur América. FAO, Rome. 513 p. Preparado con el financiamento de la Comisión de Comunidades Europeas y de NORAD.
Robins, C.R. and G.C. Ray (1986) A field guide to Atlantic coast fishes of North America. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, U.S.A. 354 p.
Comments On Cheilopogon melanurus