English Name: Barbel flyingfish
Family: EXOCOETIDAE
Local Name: Naruvaa fuihangi
Order: Beloniformes
Size: Max. 20cm
Specimen: MRS/0018/86
Distinctive Characters: Dorsal fin with 13 or 14 rays. Anal fin with 12-14 rays. Their bases opposite to each other. Pelvic fins short, closer to the pectoral fin origin than to anal fin origin. Pectoral fin strikingly long, wing-like. Gill rakers on the first gill arch 2 1-29. Elongated body, its depth usually greater than 20% of standard length. Usually 7 transverse rows of scales between dorsal fin origin and lateral line. Juveniles humpbacked with a single chin barbel and with black pelvic fins.
Colour: Dark bluish above, silvery-white below. Dorsal and pelvic fins greyish.
Habitatand Biology: Pelagic; open ocean waters. Feeds mainly on planktonic organisms.
Distribution: Indo-West Pacific.
Remarks: Like other flying fishes, Exocoetus nionocirrhus is capable of leaping out of the water and gliding for long distances above the surface. It does this to escape from predators such as tunas and dolphin fishes. In this and other species, the lower lobe of caudal fin is elongated and strengthened; it can be dropped down in to the sea surface when flying, and beaten to given an extra boost of flight.