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Parexocoetus brachypterus

Māroro

Slender Two-wing Flyingfish

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General Information

COMMON NAMES: Slender Two-wing Flyingfish, Sailfin Flyingfish; French Exocet Voilier

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Māroro (MH)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE e.Africa - Marquesas, Hawai‘i (& Bay of Panama); n. to Japan; s. to Samoa - Cooks?

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; Known from MH only (B&M74).; Marine, pelagic

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Food

KEY FEATURES: A small flyingfish to 17cm SL. Blue-black above and silvery below. Anal Fin and Dorsal Fin origin opposite, and Pectoral Fins are short - reaching middle of Dorsal Fin base. Short Ventral fins scarcely reach origin of Anal fin. Dorsal Fin is black distally, and white towards the body. The lower jaw projects slightly and the jaws protude when mouth is open.

SIMILAR SPECIES: Separated from other Cook Islands flyingfishes by the short pectoral fins; short ventral fins; protrusible jaws; and by having a pectoral branch of the lateral line.

Enlarged Image of 'Parexocoetus brachypterus'

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

Southern Group: Present Makatea:
RR	MG	AT	MK	MT	AK	PL	TK	MN

Northern Group: Present
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW
	P

Key to Symbols

blank	no data
-	absent	L	localised
X	extinct 'naturally'	W	widespread
XQi	quarantine intercepted	R	recent
XQe	eradicated	?	query preceding category
P	present	T?	taxonomic query
S	seasonal	nn	present, said to have no name
O	occasional	?1	present, name not investigated
++++	very common	?2	presence not verified, no name recorded
+++	common	N/A	absent, name not expected
++	uncommon
+	rare
Cook Islands islands: RR =Rarotonga, MG = Mangaia, AT =‘Ātiu, MK=Ma‘uke, MT=Miti‘āro, AK=Aitutaki, PL=Palmerston, PN=Penrhyn, MN=Manuae, TK=Takūtea, TN=Tongareva (TS=Tongaleva Spoken, TW=Tongareva Written, they say "el" but write "r"), MH=Manihiki, RK=Rakahanga, PK=Pukapuka, NS=Nassau, SW=Suwarrow. After a Polynesian name: ^=orthography query. Countries and other: FIJ=Fiji, WT=Wallis & Futuna, SAM=Samoa, TON=Tonga, NIU=Niue, CK=Cook Islands, CKM=Cook Islands Māori, FP=French Polynesia, AUS=Australs, SOC=Societies, TAH=Tahiti, TUA=Tuamotus, MQS=Marquesas, MNG=Mangareva, PIT=Pitcain group, EAS=Easter Island, HAW=Hawai‘i, NZ=New Zealand, NZM=New Zealand Māori

Scientific Taxonomy

Parexocoetus brachypterus (Richardson, 1846)
SYNONYMS: Exocoetus brachypterus [O]

TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; CHORDATA; GNATHOSTOMATA (Jawed Vertebrates); PISCES; OSTEICHTHYES; Beloniformes; Belonoidei; Exocoetoidea; EXOCOETIDAE

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Manihiki: 1 specimen #A685, as Parexocoetus sp. (B&M74), reID Parin (Sims88).

References:
Species No. 178 Munro (1967) Fishes of New Guinea

Data Update History (information):
zB02, zD02

Web Resources

Citation Information

McCormack, Gerald (2007) Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga. Online at http://cookislands.bishopmuseum.org.
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