Narrowhead Flyingfish

Pectoral fins almost uniformly grayish, varying in tone but neither hyaline nor blackish, with a narrow pale posterior edge broadening at the tip and toward the axil of the fin. Predorsal scales 28-30. Ventral origin equidistant from about or behind the middle of opercle and base of caudal. Head narrow and pointed for this genus, the snout equal to or slightly longer than eye. Teeth tricuspid. Interobital slightly concave; eye slightly infralateral.Coloration: Dark above to below midline of side, pale below; dorsal very pale grayish; anal white; caudal uniform dusky; ventrals pale becoming slightly dusky in the center of their base.

Oceanodromous. Migrating within oceans typically between spawning and different feeding areas, as tunas do. Migrations should be cyclical and predictable and cover more than 100 km.

Dorsal soft rays (total): 13; Analsoft rays: 8 - 9

Found on the continental shelf (Ref. 75154).

Epipelagic in coastal and oceanic waters. Often near oceanic islands. May leap out of the water and glide over considerable distances above the surface. Also caught using dipnet and light method (Ref. 9839).

fisheries: minor commercial; price category: medium; price reliability: very questionable: based on ex-vessel price for species in this family

廣泛分布於印度-泛太平洋區，西起非洲東岸，東至墨西哥外海之島嶼，北至日本，南至澳洲西北水域。臺灣分布於西南部、南部、東部、蘭嶼及澎湖水域。

每年春夏季隨著黑潮洄游至臺灣東南沿海，是主要的漁期。可利用流刺網或定置網等漁法捕獲，或編織草蓆採收飛魚卵。成魚適合紅燒或煮湯，亦可曬乾食用；魚卵則利用於鹽漬，風味不錯。

體延長，略側扁。體長為頭長之3.9-4.2倍，為體高之4.8-5.3倍。頭長短於背鰭起點至尾鰭上葉起點之間距。吻鈍短。口開於前端，下頜略短於上頜；兩頜有3尖頭齒；腭骨具弱齒。鼻孔兩對，大形，近於眼前。鰓裂寬，鰓膜在喉峽部游離；鰓耙數6-7 + 16-18 = 22-25。鰾大，向後延長；腸簡單，無幽門及盲囊。體被圓鱗，大而薄，易脫落；頭部多少被鱗；側線甚低，近腹緣，在胸部不分枝，具鱗44-46；背前鱗25-28；側線上鱗7-8。背鰭無棘，位於體之後部，具軟條13-14，鰭膜上無黑色或灰色斑；臀鰭起點在背鰭第5-7軟條基底之下方，具軟條10-11；胸鰭末端達背鰭後部基底或更後方之尾柄中央，第1鰭條不分歧，上半部淡紅色，下半部透明；腹鰭長，末端達臀鰭基底，其基底位於鰓蓋後緣至尾鰭下葉止之間距的中央略前方，呈淡色；尾鰭發達，深開叉，下葉較長。脊椎骨數40-43。幼魚有1條頜鬚，扁帶狀，其末端隨成長而尖細，外觀如領帶；背鰭不高大。

大洋洄游性魚種，生活於近海或淺海域之表水層，同時也分布於開放水域。受驚嚇時會利用其特化的胸鰭躍出水面作長距離的滑翔。主要以橈腳類及端腳類等浮游生物為食。所產的卵團具有黏絲，可附著於漂游物或底棲海藻上。