fourwing flyingfish
Hirundichthys affinis (Günther, 1866)
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The fourwing flyingfish (Hirundichthys affinis) is a species of marine ray-finned fish in the family Exocoetidae. It is found in warm waters of the Atlantic Ocean and is an important commercial and bait fish across much of the Caribbean, where it is heavily fished, most notably off Barbados.
Wikipedia contributors, Fourwing flyingfish; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:40:57.671951+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Hirundichthys affinis (Günther, 1866)
- Name authority
- (Günther, 1866)
- Common name
- fourwing flyingfish
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Beloniformes
- Family
- Exocoetidae
- Genus
- Hirundichthys
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: yes · Freshwater: no · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- orderBeloniformes
- familyExocoetidae Risso, 1827
- genusHirundichthys Breder, 1928
- speciesHirundichthys affinis (Günther, 1866)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Hirundichthys. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Hirundichthys coromandelensis (Hornell, 1923) | ExocoetidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Hirundichthys ilma (Clarke, 1899) | ExocoetidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Hirundichthys indicus Shakhovskoy & Parin, 2013 | ExocoetidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Hirundichthys oxycephalus (Bleeker, 1853) | ExocoetidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| blackwing flyingfishHirundichthys rondeletii (Valenciennes, 1847) | ExocoetidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Hirundichthys socotranus (Steindachner, 1902) | ExocoetidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| mirrorwing flying-fishHirundichthys speculiger (Valenciennes, 1847) | ExocoetidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Hirundichthys albimaculatus (Fowler, 1934) | ExocoetidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| bladewing flyingfishHirundichthys marginatus (Nichols & Breder, 1928) | ExocoetidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Hirundichthys volador (Jordan, 1884) | ExocoetidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Exocoetus affinis Günther, 1866 Günther, 1866 | synonym |
| Exocoetus roberti Müller & Troschel, 1848 Müller & Troschel, 1848 | synonym |
| Exonautes affinis (Günther, 1866) (Günther, 1866) | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=159265 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:3M4QG. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.