Species: Cheilopogon cyanopterus, Margined Flyingfish

Cheilopogon cyanopterus (Valenciennes in Cuvier & Valenciennes, 1847)

Margined Flyingfish

Body elongate, rectangular in cross section; mouth small, short, blunt; jaws ~equal; jaw teeth relatively large, noticeable to touch, conical, curved; sides of roof of mouth with teeth; fins without spines; dorsal fin moderately high (>10% SL), 12-14 rays; 9-11 anal rays, origin of fin under 5th-7th dorsal ray; pectoral reaches past anal base, 1st ray unbranched; pelvic origin nearer operculum than base of tail fin, reaches just past anal base; tail deeply forked with a longer lower lobe; scales large, smooth, easily shed; 33-41 scales on nape in front of dorsal fin; lateral line low on the body; lateral line low on the body, no branch of lateral line to origin of pectoral. Juveniles with enlarged dorsal fin; 2 fused very long (>59% SL) barbells under chin.

Dark above, pale below; dorsal grey with large black central spot; anal fin transparent; pectorals blue-black except thin outer and lower margins; anal clear; tail fin almost entirely black; pelvics clear. Juvenile: dorsal fin black; other fins strongly pigmented; stems of barbells light, their side folds black.

Size: 41 cm.

Habitat: surface pelagic, inshore and offshore.

Depth: 0-20 m.

Tropical W Atlantic and Indo-W Pacific; from 40N to 20S in the W Atlantic.