Latin name

Hirundichthys rondeletii

Other name

Hirundichthys rondeletii

Identification

The Black Wing Flyingfish has an elongated body, almost rectangular in cross section, with a somewhat flattened abdomen. It has a short, blunt snout with a small mouth in which the jaws are almost equal in length and equipped with conspicuous teeth, but the palate teeth are absent. They have 45 to 47 vertebrae; 25 to 30 predorsal scales; scales in transverse row from 6 to 7.5, usually 6.5. 

Features of fish fins

These fish have a low dorsal fin with 10 to 12 soft rays, while the anal fin has 11 to 13 soft rays and begins just before or below the first or second ray of the dorsal fin. The pectoral fins are 1.3 to 1.4 standard lengths and contain 17 to 19 soft rays, the first 2 of which are unbranched. The pelvic fins are 2.8 to 3.4 standard lengths and are located closer to the posterior edge of the gill cover than to the base of the tail.  

Fish colouring

The body of the black-winged flyingfish is dark, iridescent blue on the back and pale, silvery on the belly. The dorsal and caudal fins are grayish, the anal fin is transparent, and the pectoral fins are black with a thin, pale outer edge; the pelvic fins usually have a black spot. Juveniles without spines have a standard length of less than 50 millimeters (2.0 inches) and are marked with several dark vertical stripes on the body, while the dorsal, pectoral, and pelvic fins are mottled with dark spots and stripes.

Distribution

Widespread in tropical and subtropical waters of all the world's oceans. In the eastern Atlantic, it rarely reaches as far north as Spain and the English Channel, but its main range extends from Portugal south to Namibia and sometimes South Africa. It is also found in the western Mediterranean, where it migrates southeast in winter. In the western Atlantic, it occurs from Massachusetts and Bermuda north to the coast of southern Brazil, although it has been recorded in Canada. In the eastern Pacific, the distribution of this species extends from California south to Chile.

Habitat

A marine pelagic oceanodromous species that lives in surface waters. Their depth range is 0 - 1 m.

Size

The maximum length of males of this species is 30.0 cm, with a total length of 20.0 cm.

Behavior

Black wing flyingfish are capable of jumping out of the water and gliding over the surface for considerable distances. 

Food and feeding habits

These fish feed on zooplankton. 

Reproduction

Black wing flyingfish eggs consist of a bundle of filaments on one pole and a single filament on the opposite pole. 

Fishing

This species is considered to be of minor fishery importance.

Relationship with a person

Harmless.