Sailfin Flyingfish, Parexocoetus brachypterus (Richardson 1846)


Other Names: Two-winged Flying-fish
Summary:
A deep iridescent greenish-blue flyingfish with silvery-white sides and ventral surface, a tall black dorsal fin except for a pale base, greyish pelvic fins, and transparent pectoral and caudal fins. 

Cite this page as:
Bray, D.J. 2023, Parexocoetus brachypterus in Fishes of Australia, accessed 29 Mar 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/4485

Sailfin Flyingfish, Parexocoetus brachypterus (Richardson 1846)

More Info


Distribution

Off Shark Bay, Western Australia, and around the tropical north to Moreton Bay, Queensland, including Ashmore Reef and Cartier Island in the Timor Sea. elsewhere the species is widespread in the Indo-west-central Pacific.
The species is pelagic in coastal surface waters, and rare in the open ocean.

Features

Dorsal fin 11-13; Anal fin 13-14; Pectoral fin first 2 rays unbranched, 11-12 branched rays; Lateral-line scales 43-50; Lateral scale rows 23-30; Predorsal scales 21-25.
Body elongate, broadly cylindrical; head short, snout short and blunt; mouth small, upper jaw protrusible, jaw teeth small, conical; gill rakers well-developed. 
Dorsal fin-rays long, longest rays reaching beyond origin of upper caudal-fin lobe; pectoral fins moderately long, not reaching beyond posterior part of anal-fin base; pelvic fin short, not extending beyond anal fin when depressed; anal-fin origin slightly before or below dorsal-fin origin; caudal fin  deeply forked with a longer lower lobe; lateral line low on the body, with a branch to origin of pectoral
Scales large, cycloid, easily shed.

Size


Remarks

Two subspecies are recognised, with the nominal subspecies occurring in the Indo-west central Pacific.

Etymology

The specific name brachypterus is from the Latin brachy (= short) and pterus (= fin), presumably in reference to the shorter pectoral fins compared with those of  Exocoetus mesogaster (presumed to be a close relative at the time).

Species Citation

Exocoetus brachypterus Richardson 1846, Report of the 15th meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science 1845: 265. Type locality: Tahiti.

Author

Bray, D.J. 2023

Resources

Catalog of Fishes

Sailfin Flyingfish, Parexocoetus brachypterus (Richardson 1846)

References


Günther, A. 1867. Additions to the knowledge of Australian reptiles and fishes. Annals and Magazine of Natural History 3 20(8): 45-68 (described as Exocoetus atrodorsalis, type locality Cape York, Queensland) See ref at BHL

Johnson, J.W. 2010. Fishes of the Moreton Bay Marine Park and adjacent continental shelf waters, Queensland, Australia. pp. 299-353 in Davie, P.J.F. & Phillips, J.A. Proceedings of the Thirteenth International Marine Biological Workshop, The Marine Fauna and Flora of Moreton Bay. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 54(3) 

Larson, H.K., Williams, R.S. & Hammer, M.P. 2013. An annotated checklist of the fishes of the Northern Territory, Australia. Zootaxa 3696(1): 1-293 

Parin, N.V. 1996. On the species composition of the flying fish species (Exocoetidae) in the west-central part of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Journal of Ichthyology 36(5): 357–364

Parin, N.V. 1999. Family Exocoetidae. pp. 2162-2179 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, T.H. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 4 pp. 2069-2790. 

Richardson, J. 1846. Report on the ichthyology of the seas of China and Japan. Report of the 15th meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science 1845: 187-320 See ref at BHL




Russell, B.C. & Houston, W. 1989. Offshore fishes of the Arafura Sea. The Beagle, Records of Museums & Art Galleries of the Northern Territory 6(1): 69-84.

Quick Facts


CAAB Code:37233016

Depth:0-20 m

Habitat:Pelagic, coastal waters

Max Size:20 cm TL

Species Maps

CAAB distribution map