Atlantic Flyingfish, Cheilopogon melanurus
Atlantic Flyingfish, Cheilopogon melanurus, Juvenile. Fish caught from coastal waters off Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, February 2024. Length 5.9 cm (2.3 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of James Lafontaine, Long Island, New York.
The Atlantic Flyingfish, Cheilopogon melanurus, is a member of the Flyingfish or Exocoetidae Family, and is known in Mexico as volador Atlántico and volador blanquito. Globally, there are twenty-four species in the genus Cheilopogon, of which nine are found in Mexican waters, four in the Atlantic and five in the Pacific Ocean.
The Atlantic Flyingfish has an elongated broadly cylindrical body that has a rectangular cross-section with a head length that is greater than 23% of standard length. They are an iridescent blue dorsally that transitions to white or silvery ventrally with a transparent anal fin and gray caudal and dorsal fins. The pectoral fins are pale gray with an indistinct pale triangular cross bar in the middle and narrow clear margins. The pectoral and pelvic fins have dark bars and blotches. The juveniles have six dark bands on their body, dorsal fins with spots and transparent pectoral fins. They have a small short blunt mouth with the lower jaw being slightly longer than the upper jaw that is equipped with minute conical teeth. Their anal fin has 7 to 11 rays and is inserted under the 5th to 7th dorsal fin rays; the caudal fin is deeply forked with a longer lower lobe; their dorsal fin has 12 to 14 rays and is moderately low; they have long gray pectoral fins that that are set high on the body that reach beyond the anal fin base; their pelvic fins are long reaching past the anal fin origin and are closer to the anal fin that to the pectoral fin. They are covered with large smooth scales. Their lateral line is low on the body. The juveniles have a pair of short barbells under the chin.
Due to its abundance and wide distribution the Atlantic Flyingfish is best studied of the Flyingfishes. They are found in schools on the surface to depths up to 5 m (16 feet) in both the pelagic zone (open ocean) and the neritic zone (coastal areas). The juveniles are found in bays and harbors. They reach a maximum of 32 cm (13 inches) in length. They are carnivores that consume on small crustaceans, smaller fishes and zooplankton normally feeding at night. The Atlantic Flying fish are highly subjected to predation by birds, dolphins, dorado, marlins, porpoises, squid, tuna, swordfish, and wahoo. The Atlantic Flyingfish utilizes speed and breaching as defense mechanisms to avoid predation. They can reach a top speed of 30 km per hour and they have the ability to glide above the water surface for up to 12 m (40 feet) in the air and can make successive flights one after another. These flights do put them at risk for predation by birds however.
Spawning occurs in June to August in large schools making annual migrations during low current episodes. Reproduction is oviparous with large sticky eggs that attach to floating and benthic weeds to keep their eggs afloat. The number of ova per female range from 4,000 to 28,000. The eggs do not receive parental care and are subject to high levels of predation. The Atlantic Flyingfish has a lifespan of 5 years.
The Atlantic Flyingfish is a resident of all Mexican waters of the Atlantic including the Gulf of Mexican and the Caribbean.
The Atlantic Flyingfish is somewhat unique for a flyingfish in that the majority have the dorsal fin origin over the anal fin origin. They are most likely confused with the Bandwing Flyingfish, Cheilopogon exsiliens (moderately high dorsal fin that has a prominent black spot and black pectoral fins), the Margined Flyingfish, Cheilopogon cyanopterus (moderately high dorsal fin, bluish-black pectoral fins), and the Spotfin Flyingfish, Cheilopogon furcatus (black pectoral fin)
From a conservation perspective the Atlantic Flyingfish is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. They are seldom seen by humans and are of limited value and interest to most. On a vary limited basis their eggs are utilized in the sushi industry and sold commercially.