Cypselurus starksi

biology_ecology

Biology. A small collection of C. starksi at our disposal allows us to note only that fish from waters of China (IORAS 03963 – 03965) were mature or close to maturity, indicating that in this area spawning takes place at least in June – July. According to Imai (1959), spawning takes place off Amakusa Is. and Siganoshima in the first 10 – 20 days of July in water with temperatures 25 – 26 ° C; juveniles appear in coastal waters of Kyushu from 10 th day of July to first 10 days of September.

A review of the flying fish genus Cypselurus (Beloniformes: Exocoetidae). Part 2. Revision of the subgenus Poecilocypselurus Bruun, 1935 with descriptions of three new species and five new subspecies and reinstatement of Exocoetus apus Valenciennes and E. neglectus Bleeker

description

Description. Meristic and morphometric characters are given in Tables 1 – 6 and 10. D 12 – 14, A (7) 8 – 9, P I 13 – 16 (usually I 15), Spred 26 – 33 (usually 28 – 29), Str 8 – 10 (usually 9 – 9 ½), Sp. br 20 – 26 (5 – 8 + 15 – 19), Vert 42 – 44 (27 – 29 + 14 – 16). Snout short and blunt, upper jaw not pointed anteriorly (Fig. 2 a). With mouth closed lower jaw usually shorter than upper jaw or of equal size. Jaw teeth rather large (usually plainly visible with a naked eye), tricuspid, rarely with additional cusps; arranged in 2 – 5 rows. Palatine teeth always present, numerous. In fish 130 – 200 mm SL body elongate to rather deep. Greatest body depth fits 4.9 – 5.7 times in SL, greatest head depth 5.3 – 5.7 in SL. Body width 1.25 – 1.45 and caudal peduncle depth 2.31 – 2.62 in greatest body depth. Head length 3.95 – 4.35 in SL and 1.05 – 1.25 in dorso-caudal distance. Eyes relatively small, eye diameter 12.0 – 14.1 in SL, 2.95 – 3.3 in с, 1.25 – 1.40 in po and 1.0 – 1.3 in io. Pectoral fins long, their length 1.4 – 1.55 in SL; lP somewhat increasing with growth (from 65.0 – 67.0 % SL in fish 130 – 142 mm SL to 67.3 – 70.3 % SL in fish 155 – 179 mm SL). Tip of pectoral fin reaching

A review of the flying fish genus Cypselurus (Beloniformes: Exocoetidae). Part 2. Revision of the subgenus Poecilocypselurus Bruun, 1935 with descriptions of three new species and five new subspecies and reinstatement of Exocoetus apus Valenciennes and E. neglectus Bleeker

description

Prognichthys agoo (non Temminck & Schlegel). Chyung 1977: Pl. 170 (3) (Korea; in part).

A review of the flying fish genus Cypselurus (Beloniformes: Exocoetidae). Part 2. Revision of the subgenus Poecilocypselurus Bruun, 1935 with descriptions of three new species and five new subspecies and reinstatement of Exocoetus apus Valenciennes and E. neglectus Bleeker

distribution

Distribution. The distribution of C. starksi based on specimens studied by us is shown in Figure 3. According to our data and the available literature, this species is distributed in neritic waters of the Japan, Yellow, East China and South China seas and off the Pacific coast of Japan. Its northernmost occurrence is Yentai, China (IORAS 03963) and Tokyo Bay (CAS 107329); the southernmost is Hong Kong (CAS 17790) and, probably, Danang, Vietnam (IORAS 03962). Honma (1963) also listed C. starksi from Sado I., Japan. Kyushin et al. (1977) reported C. starksi from the Andaman Sea, but we regard this occurrence as a misidentification of C. oligolepis.

A review of the flying fish genus Cypselurus (Beloniformes: Exocoetidae). Part 2. Revision of the subgenus Poecilocypselurus Bruun, 1935 with descriptions of three new species and five new subspecies and reinstatement of Exocoetus apus Valenciennes and E. neglectus Bleeker