''Exocoetus peruvianus'', commonly known as the Peruvian flyingfish, is a species of

ray-finned fish Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fishes, is a class of bony fish. They comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species. The ray-finned fishes are so called because their fins are webs of skin supported by bony or h ...

endemic to the tropical southeast

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contin ...

in the waters off

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

and

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ' ...

Description

The species can reach a length of 152 mm (6 in) to 198 mm (7.8 in). Like most

flying fish 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 d ...

, ''E. peruivanus'' exhibits

countershading Countershading, or Thayer's law, is a method of camouflage in which an animal's coloration is darker on the top or upper side and lighter on the underside of the body. This pattern is found in many species of mammals, reptiles, birds, fish, a ...

with the body colored iridescent blue from above and silvery white from below. The

pectoral 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 ...

is light brown while 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 ...

is light gray. 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 ...

is also gray and both the anal fin and

ventral Standard anatomical terms of location are used to unambiguously describe the anatomy of animals, including humans. The terms, typically derived from Latin or Greek roots, describe something in its standard anatomical position. This position prov ...

fins are non-pigmented. The species has very few teeth if any and are rarely spaced when present. The osteological character of ''E. peruivanus'' is very similar to that of ''

Exocoetus obtusirostris ''Exocoetus obtusirostris'', commonly known as the oceanic two-wing flyingfish or the blunt-snouted flyingfish, is a species of ray-finned fish native to the tropical and subtropical western Atlantic Ocean. It has the ability to glide above the s ...

.'' However, in this species, the posterolateral process of

cleithrum The cleithrum (plural cleithra) is a membrane bone which first appears as part of the skeleton in primitive bony fish, where it runs vertically along the scapula. Its name is derived from Greek κλειθρον = "key (lock)", by analogy with "cla ...

head reaches far past the scapular orifice. Juveniles are typically 34 mm (1.3 in) to 78 mm (3 in) and humpbacked. They have a steep upper profile with the antedorsal distance being larger than anteanal distance. At 16 mm (0.6 in) to 34 mm (1.3 in), juveniles have dark transverse bands on the trunk and the posterior part of their pectoral and dorsal fins are dark. At this length and smaller, the pectoral fins are largely transparent with light gray pigmentation in the anterior and posterior parts. The ventral fins are dark on juveniles smaller than 57 mm (2.2 in). Juveniles greater than 57 mm in length are covered with pigment with the exception of the posterior and lower edges. No chin

barbels In fish anatomy and turtle anatomy, a barbel is a slender, whiskerlike sensory organ near the mouth. Fish that have barbels include the catfish, the carp, the goatfish, the hagfish, the sturgeon, the zebrafish, the black dragonfish and some s ...

are present in juveniles.Parin, N.V., and Shakhovskoy, I.B. (2000). A Review of the Flying Fish Genus Exocoetus (Exocoetidae) with Descriptions of Two New Species from the Southern Pacific Ocean. ''Journal of Ichthyology'' 40. p. 58-63.

Distribution and habitat

''Excoetus peruivanus'' has the most limited distributional range among ''

Exocoetus ''Exocoetus'' is a genus of flying fishes. It is a bony fish. The body is covered with cycloid scales. The mouth is wide, and the jaws bear teeth. It is a marine fish. The tail has hypobatic fins as the ventral lobe. Species Five species in thi ...

''. It is only found in a small area of the southeastern Pacific Ocean between the Southern Tropic and the equator.

References

peruvianus Fish of Ecuador Fish of Peru Western South American coastal fauna {{Beloniformes-stub