Author: Linnaeus, 1758
Exocoetus volitans Linnaeus, 1758
Status in World Register of Marine Species:
Accepted name: Exocoetus volitans Linnaeus, 1758 (updated 2009-06-25)
Diagnosis: dorsal finrays 13-15; anal finrays 12-14; pectoral finrays 14-16 (1 unbranched). Gillrakers 29-37 on first arch. Predorsal scales 17-21, scales between dorsal fin origin and lateral line usually 6. Colour: iridescent blue above, silvery below; fins greyish to transparent. Size: to 18 cm.
Habitat: epipelagic in oceanic waters. Food: no data. Reproduction: eggs pelagic, without filaments; juveniles without barbels.
Distribution: normally not north of the Canaries and the Azores; occasional stragglers reported farther north, including Mediterranean. Elsewhere, worldwide in tropical and subtropical seas.
Eggs, larvae and young stages. D'Ancona, 1931d: 173-177, fig. 162-166 | Breder, 1938: 30 | Sparta, 1955: 28-31 | Kovalevskaya, 1964: 205-211, fig. 1-4 | Parin and Gorbunova, 1964: 227-232, fig. 1, 3.
Otoliths (sagitta). Frost, 1926b: 473, pl. 21 (fig. 3) | Sanz EcheverrÃa, 1926: 148, fig. 5.