''Fodiator'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

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 do ...

es. It is the only genus in the

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoologi ...

Fodiatorinae.

Etymology

''Fodiator'' means "one who stab", likely a reference to the long, thin, sharp snout with its projecting lower jaw.

About

''Fodiator'' species live in marine climates, reaching a maximum length of 19 cm. They can most easily be found in

Baja California Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

, the

Gulf of California The Gulf of California ( es, Golfo de California), also known as the Sea of Cortés (''Mar de Cortés'') or Sea of Cortez, or less commonly as the Vermilion Sea (''Mar Bermejo''), is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean that separates the Baja Ca ...

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

, and the Clipperton and Galapagos Islands. They rise to the surface of the water when the water becomes warm. They even have the ability to leap out of the water and glide in the air for long distances. To reproduce, these fish attach their

eggs Humans and human ancestors have scavenged and eaten animal eggs for millions of years. Humans in Southeast Asia had domesticated chickens and harvested their eggs for food by 1,500 BCE. The most widely consumed eggs are those of fowl, especial ...

to small floating objects. Two species are found in the Pacific Ocean, with one also being found in the eastern Atlantic.

Species

Two

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

in this genus are recognized: *''

Fodiator acutus ''Fodiator acutus'', the sharpchin flyingfish, is a species of flying fish in the genus ''Fodiator'' endemic to the northeast Pacific Ocean and the eastern Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans ...

'' (

Valenciennes Valenciennes (, also , , ; nl, label=also Dutch, Valencijn; pcd, Valincyinnes or ; la, Valentianae) is a commune in the Nord department, Hauts-de-France, France. It lies on the Scheldt () river. Although the city and region experienced a s ...

, 1847) (sharpchin flyingfish) *''

Fodiator rostratus ''Fodiator rostratus'' is a species of flying fish in the genus ''Fodiator''. It reaches a maximum length of 19 cm (7.4 in) and is endemic to the eastern Pacific Ocean from Baja California in the Gulf of California to Peru, including Cl ...

'' ( Günther, 1866)

References

Exocoetidae {{Beloniformes-stub