sailfin flyingfish
Parexocoetus brachypterus (Richardson, 1846)
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 sailfin flying fish (Parexocoetus brachypterus) is a member of the flyingfish family Exocoetidae. As is typical of other members of its family, this species has the ability to jump out of the water and glide on hypertrophied fins in order to evade predators. It is considered a “two-winged” flying fish, meaning that it only has enlarged pectoral fins, as opposed to “four-winged” flying fish, which have both enlarged pectoral and pelvic fins.
Wikipedia contributors, Sailfin flying fish; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:32:14.339877+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Parexocoetus brachypterus (Richardson, 1846)
- Name authority
- (Richardson, 1846)
- Common name
- sailfin flyingfish
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Beloniformes
- Family
- Exocoetidae
- Genus
- Parexocoetus
- 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
- genusParexocoetus Bleeker, 1865
- speciesParexocoetus brachypterus (Richardson, 1846)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Parexocoetus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Parexocoetus mento (Valenciennes, 1847) | ExocoetidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Parexocoetus hillianus (Gosse, 1851) | 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 brachypterus Richardson, 1846 Richardson, 1846 | synonym |
| Ptenonotus melanogeneion Pietschmann, 1928 Pietschmann, 1928 | synonym |
| Parexocoetus brachypterus brachypterus (Richardson, 1846) (Richardson, 1846) | synonym |
| Paraexocoetus brachypterus (Richardson, 1846) (Richardson, 1846) | synonym |
| Exocaetus brachypterus Richardson, 1846 Richardson, 1846 | synonym |
| Exocoetus atrodorsalis Günther, 1867 Günther, 1867 | synonym |
| Paraxocoetus brachypterus (Richardson, 1846) (Richardson, 1846) | 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=217872 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:4DLS4. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.