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🌊 Marine 🌡️ Tropical

African sailfin flyingfish

Parexocoetus mento Valenciennes, 1847
Max Length
12.3 cm
Max Weight
-
Lifespan
-
Trophic Level
3.3
Depth
0–20 m
Climate
Tropical
Resilience
High
Vulnerability
10.00/100
Typical Length
-
Depth Zone
pelagic

📖 Overview

Found in near-shore surface waters, never spread to open sea . Capable of leaping out of the water and gliding above the surface .

Scientific Name
Parexocoetus mento
Authority
Valenciennes, 1847
Habitat
Marine
Climate
Tropical
Body Shape
Elongated
Max Length
12.3 cm
Depth Range
0–20 m
Latitude
23°S – 30°N
Trophic Level
3.3
Resilience
High
Vulnerability
10.00/100
Migration
Oceanodromous
Salinity
30–40 ppt

🔬 Taxonomy

Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Teleostei
Teleostei
Order
Beloniformes
Beloniformes
Family
Exocoetidae
Exocoetidae
Genus
Parexocoetus
Parexocoetus
Species
African sailfin flyingfish
Parexocoetus mento

🐟 Physical Description

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 9 - 12; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 10 - 12. Dorsal fin mostly blackish; pectorals and caudal greyish, other fins transparent .: elongated.

🌀 Behaviour

Behavioural data for African sailfin flyingfish is currently being reviewed.

🦐 Diet

aquatic invertebrates
small fish
algae
detritus

🥚 Reproduction

🐣 Oviparous 📦 Batch Spawner
Spawning Season
spring-summer
Spawn Location
Pelagic
Fertilization
External

Semelparous, most die after a single spawning .

🌍 Habitat & Distribution

Marine; pelagic-neritic; oceanodromous ; depth range 0 - 20 m. Tropical; 30°N - 23°S, 20°E - 178°W East Africa, including the Red Sea and the Gulf, to southern Japan, Marshall Islands, Fiji, the Arafura Sea (Ref.

🌿 Ecology

Zone Preferences
🌊 Marine 🐟 Pelagic
Migration
Oceanodromous
Trophic Level
3.3±0.4

📐 Morphometrics

Length–Weight Relationship: W = 0.00646 × L3.04 (TL)
Max TL
12.3cm
Dorsal Rays
11
Anal Rays
11

🌡️ Water Parameters & Tolerance

Salinity Range
30–40ppt

📊 Population Risk & Fisheries

Population Resilience
High
Minimum doubling time
Fishing Vulnerability
10.00/100
Low vulnerability
Trophic Level
3.3
Predator
Body Shape
Elongated
Climate Zone
Tropical
Latitude Range
30°N – 23°S
Described By
Valenciennes, 1847

🌐 Names & Taxonomy

Scientific Synonyms

Scientific Name Author Year Status
Exocoetus gryllus Klunzinger 1871 Synonym
Exocoetus mento Valenciennes 1847 Synonym
Exocoetus mesogaster Bloch 1795 Heterotypic
Paraxocoetus mento - - Synonym
Paraxocoetus mento atlanticus Bruun 1933 Synonym
Parexocoetus mento atlanticus Bruun 1933 Synonym
Parexocoetus mento mento - - Synonym
Parexocoetus mesogaster Bloch 1795 Synonym

🗺️ Global Occurrence Map

Occurrence records from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) - 4 records indexed .

Occurrence density from GBIF View GBIF records ↗

👥 Community & Contribute

Aquareap Community Observations
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