The Flyingfish Family – Exocoetidae

There are currently NINE members of the Flyingfish or Exocoetidae Family, one from the Atlantic Ocean, five from the Pacific Ocean , and three residents of both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, are presented in this website:

FROM THE ATLANTIC (1)

FROM THE PACIFIC (5):

FROM THE ATLANTIC AND PACIFIC (3):

Note: the Smallwing Flyingfish, Oxyporhamphus micropterus, has been placed in the Halfbeak Family by the scientific community for reasons totally unclear to me. The link above will take you to the page for this species.

The Flyingfish or Exocoetidae Family has sixty global family members that have been placed in nine genera, of which twenty-five are found in Mexican waters, nine in the Atlantic, fourteen in the Pacific and two in both the Atlantic and the Pacific Ocean. They are named for their ability to emerge quickly from the water and glide for long distances (61 m -200 feet to 305 m – 1,000 feet) reaching altitudes of 6 m (20 feet) and speeds of 69 kmh (43 mph) while remaining airborne for up to 45 seconds. They do so as a natural defense mechanism against predation. The Flyingfish are known in Mexico as voladores.

The Flyingfish have elongated cigar-shaped fish. They are dark dorsally and pale ventrally with an overall iridescent blue-green color. Some species have dorsal fins with black pigmentation, while others have pectoral fins with dark spots or pale stripes. Juveniles are very different in appearance from adults; they have shorter pectoral fins and their color patterns include spots and bars. The largest flyingfish is 45 cm (18 inches) in length. They have short heads, blunt snouts, and small short blunt mouths with minute teeth or no teeth. They have one anal fin and one dorsal fin, which are opposite and set well back on their body. Their caudal fin is deeply forked with rounded tips and a much longer lower lobe. Their pectoral fins are high on the sides and greatly enlarged; they reach past the dorsal fin origin and can be locked in place to serve as “wings”. Their pelvic fins are on the abdomen, well behind the pectoral fin base and greatly enlarged in some species. Their lateral fine is low on the body. They are covered with large scales.

 The Flyingfish are primarily an oceanic schooling pelagic species found in abundance in all surface tropical and subtropical waters normally in the epipelagic zone, from the surface to depths of 183 m (600 feet). Some visit coastal areas close to the outer edge of coral reefs over deep water. Others get fairly close to shore often driven by larger predators. They feed on planktonic organisms and small fish. In turn they are preyed upon by birds, dolphins, dorado, marlins, porpoises, squid, and tuna. Reproduction is oviparous with the release of large sticky filaments that attach to floating or benthic weeds.

The Flyingfish are fished commercially in some Asian countries primarily by gill netting. Global catches are on the order of 3,000 tons per annum. In the Solomon Islands they are caught at night with nets held from outrigger canoes on moonless nights with torches used to attract fish. They and their roe are considered a delicacy in some cultures. They are marketed fresh, dried salted, or as fermented fish paste. They are attracted to light and are fairly common on the decks of small transoceanic ships at first daylight. The Flyingfish date to the Middle Triassic period, 240 million years ago.

The Flyingfish are very elusive, thus quality scientific photographs of most species are not yet available. The photographs in this website are some of the best available.