Exocoetoidea is a superfamily of fishes that comprises three

families Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Ideal ...

, the flying fishes, the

halfbeak Hemiramphidae is a family of fishes that are commonly called halfbeaks, spipe fish or spipefish. They are a geographically widespread and numerically abundant family of epipelagic fish inhabiting warm waters around the world. The halfbeaks are ...

s and the

viviparous halfbeak Zenarchopteridae, the viviparous halfbeaks, is a family in the order Beloniformes. The Zenarchopteridae exhibit strong sexual dimorphism, practicing internal fertilisation, and in some cases ovoviviparous or viviparous (the family also includes ...

s. They are found in tropical and subtropical waters around the world. Exocoetoidea is part of the suborder

Exocoetoidei Exocoetoidei is a suborder of the order Beloniformes, which is sometimes known as the Belonoidei. It contains two superfamilies and five families. Classification Exocoetoidei is classified as follows: * Suborder Exocoetoidei ** Superfamily ...

of the order

Beloniformes Beloniformes is an order composed of six families (and about 264 species) of freshwater and marine ray-finned fish: * Adrianichthyidae (ricefish and medakas) * Belonidae (needlefish) * Exocoetidae (flyingfishes) * Hemiramphidae (halfbeaks) ...

Characteristics

The fishes have large scales, with normally 38–60 scales along the lateral line. They have a small mouth and some have an elongated lower jaw (but not an elongated upper jaw). They do not have the isolated finlets between the

dorsal fin A dorsal fin is a fin located on the back of most marine and freshwater vertebrates within various taxa of the animal kingdom. Many species of animals possessing dorsal fins are not particularly closely related to each other, though through c ...

and anal fin and the

caudal fin Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as ...

. The dorsal and anal fins typically have 8–18 rays each but there are as many as 25 in ''

Euleptorhamphus ''Euleptorhamphus'' is a genus of halfbeaks (family Hemiramphidae) in the order Beloniformes. Species There are currently two recognized species in this genus: * '' Euleptorhamphus velox'' Poey, 1868 (Flying halfbeak) * '' Euleptorhamphus vi ...

''. The third pair of upper pharyngeal bones are united, but not fused, to form a

palate The palate () is the roof of the mouth in humans and other mammals. It separates the oral cavity from the nasal cavity. A similar structure is found in crocodilians, but in most other tetrapods, the oral and nasal cavities are not truly separ ...

Families

The three families included in this superfamily are: * Family

Exocoetidae The Exocoetidae are a family of marine fish in the order Beloniformes class Actinopterygii, known colloquially as flying fish or flying cod. About 64 species are grouped in seven to nine genera. While they cannot fly in the same way a bird ...

Risso, 1827 (flying fishes) * Family

Hemiramphidae Hemiramphidae is a family of fishes that are commonly called halfbeaks, spipe fish or spipefish. They are a geographically widespread and numerically abundant family of epipelagic fish inhabiting warm waters around the world. The halfbeaks are ...

Gill A gill () is a respiratory organ that many aquatic organisms use to extract dissolved oxygen from water and to excrete carbon dioxide. The gills of some species, such as hermit crabs, have adapted to allow respiration on land provided they are ...

, 1859 (halfbeaks) * Family Zenarchopteridae Fowler, 1934 (viviparous halfbeaks)

References

{{Taxonbar, from = Q21226926 Beloniformes Animal superfamilies