Latin name

Cheilopogon dorsomacula

Other name

Cypsilurus furcatus dorsomacula

Identification

The body of the backspot flyingfish is elongated, and the snout is blunt. The swim bladder has no pneumatic duct connecting it to the foregut.

Features of Fish Fins

A distinctive feature of the fish is its unusually large pectoral fins. The second ray of the pectoral fin is split approximately to the middle. The dorsal fin is positioned far back, typically with 12–14 rays. The anal fin consists of 8–10 rays. The lower lobe of the caudal fin is elongated. The pelvic fins are long and have 6 rays.

Fish Coloration

The juveniles of the backspot flyingfish live among floating vegetation and are colored light yellow with small black and brown spots on their fins. When the fish grow up and leave the vegetation, they don a protective pelagic coloration, being bluish-gray on top and silvery below.

Distribution

They are widely distributed in the Pacific Ocean but are not found in the inland seas of Southeast Asia.

Habitat

They are a tropical, marine, pelagic-neritic, oceanodromous fish species. Their depth range is from 0 to 20 meters.

Size

The maximum length for males of this species is 23.0 cm.

Behavior

They stay in small schools. They inhabit coastal waters and never venture into the open ocean. They are capable of leaping out of the water and gliding for considerable distances above the surface.

Food and Feeding Habits

They feed on plankton, small crustaceans, pteropods, and fish larvae. They are attracted to lights at night.

Reproduction

The diameter of the eggs of these fish is 0.5–0.8 mm, and they are red-orange in color. The eggs are attached to algae, branches and fruits of land plants carried out from the mainland, coconuts, bird feathers, and other floating debris.

Fishing

This species is not commercially important.

Relationship with a person

Harmless. In cooking, this fish is renowned for its robust, rich flavor and soft, tender texture.