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Species: Cheilopogon cyanopterus, Margined Flyingfish

All Families:   All Genera:   All Species:

D height > 10% SL, with black spot
pectorals blue-black, outer edge & lower rays clea
C: both lobes same color
jaw teeth noticeable to touch
sides roof mouth with teeth
juvenile: barbels > 59% SL, with fleshy axis
nape scales before D 33-41

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.


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Salinity
  • Marine
  • Marine Only
Inshore/Offshore
  • In & Offshore
  • Inshore
  • Offshore
Water Column Position
  • Near Surface
  • Surface
  • Water column only
Habitat
  • Water column
FishBase Habitat
  • Pelagic
Feeding Group
  • Data
  • Planktivore
Diet
  • Data
  • Zooplankton
Egg Type
  • Benthic
  • Data
  • Pelagic larva
Global Endemism
  • All species
  • Circumtropical ( Indian + Pacific + Atlantic Oceans)
  • Greater Caribbean non-endemic
Regional Endemism
  • Also in Brazil
  • Continent
  • Continent + Island (s)
  • Extends N + S of GC
  • Extends North of GC
  • Extends South of GC
  • GC non-endemic
  • Island (s)
  • All species
Residency
  • Resident
Climate Zone
  • Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
  • Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
  • Temperate (>35N)
  • Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
IUCN Red List
  • Least concern
  • Listed
CITES
  • Not listed
Length Max
  • 41
Depth Range Min
  • 0
Depth Range Max
  • 20