English Name: Tropical two-wing flyingfish
Family: EXOCOETIDAE
LocalName: Hiki fuihangi
Order: Beloniformes
Size: Max. 18cm
Specimen: MRS/0434/93
Distinctive Characters: Dorsal fin with 13-15 rays. Anal fin with 13 or 14 rays. Their bases opposite. Pelvic fins short. Pectoral fin strikingly long, 70-75% of standard length. Gill rakers on the first gill arch 29-37. Body elongate, thick and somewhat flattened ventrally; its depth usually less than 19% of standard length. Usually 6 transverse rows of scales between dorsal fin origin and lateral line.
Colour: Body dark, iridescent blue dorsally, silvery white ventrally. Pectoral and caudal fins greyish, other fins unpigmented. Juveniles sometimes with black bars.
Habitat and Biology: Pelagic, open ocean waters. Feeds mainlyon planktonic organisms.
Distribution: Circumtropical.
Remarks: Like other flying fishes, Exocoetus vo/itans is capable of leaping out of the water and gliding for long distances above the surface. The seasonal distribution of flying fishes in the Maldivian waters are not well known. However, this species in known to occur in huge numbers off Foah Mulaku every year in November - December, when they are preyed upon by yellowfin tunas and frigate birds.