Yellow-wing flyingfish

A marine fish belonging to the order Garcinia and family Dobiidae of the class Osteichthyes. It is widely distributed in the Pacific Ocean south of southern Hokkaido, the Sea of ​​Japan south of Toyama Prefecture, and tropical waters of the Indian and Western Pacific Oceans. It has a thick, short body and a large head. Its snout is short and its eyes are relatively large. It has three-pointed teeth on both jaws. Its pelvic fins begin closer to the rear edge of the gill cover than the lower end of the caudal fin. There are many brown spots scattered on the fin membrane of its pectoral fin. It can be distinguished from other species that have spots on their pectoral fins by the fact that it has only 7 to 9 soft rays on its anal fin. Many flying fish have barbels when they are juvenile, but the juveniles of this species do not. It grows to about 30 centimeters in length. It lives in the surface layer and feeds on planktonic animals. It spawns in early summer in southern Kyushu. It is caught in gill nets and set nets during the summer.

[Kunio Amano]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

硬骨魚綱ダツ目トビウオ科に属する海水魚。北海道南部以南の太平洋、富山県以南の日本海、インド・西太平洋の熱帯海域に広く分布する。体は太くて、短く、頭が大きい。吻(ふん)は短く、比較的目が大きい。両顎(あご)の歯は3尖頭(せんとう)。腹びれは尾びれ下端起部よりも鰓蓋(さいがい)後縁に近いところから始まる。胸びれの鰭膜(きまく)上に、多数の茶褐色の斑紋(はんもん)が散らばる。胸びれに斑点をもつ他種とは、臀(しり)びれ軟条が少なくて7～9本であることで区別できる。トビウオは幼魚のときにひげがあるものが多いが、本種の幼魚にひげはない。全長は30センチメートルほどになる。表層にすみ、浮遊性の動物を食べる。九州南部では初夏に産卵する。夏期に刺網や定置網で漁獲される。

［尼岡邦夫］

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