Cypselurus callopterus ( Günther, 1866 )

Shakhovskoy, Ilia B. & Parin, Nikolay V., 2022, 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, Zootaxa 5117 (1), pp. 1-109 : 10

Cypselurus callopterus ( Günther, 1866)

Synonymy and bibliography.

Exocoetus callopterus Günther, 1866: 292 (original description; Pacific coast of Panama). Günther 1868: 479–480, Pl. 83 (short description; Panama). Lütken 1876: 393, 401 (listed; Panama). Jordan & Meek 1885: 53, 65–67 (short description; Pacific coast of Mexico and Central America). Jordan & Evermann 1896a: 740 (short description; Panama; in part?).

Cypsilurus callopterus . Jordan & Evermann 1896b: 323 (listed; Panama). Fowler 1944: 393, 408, 491, fig. 117 ( Panama, Mexico, Galapagos Is.).

Cypselurus callopterus . Meek & Hildebrand 1923: 246–247 (description; Panama). Breder 1928: 23 (listed; Eastern Pacific). Fowler 1932b: 7 (short description; 90 mi S of Panama). Seale 1940: 9 (pigmentation of fins; Galapagos Is.). Woods & Schultz 1953: 184–185, 187 (morphometry; Panama). Parin 1958: 121 (distribution). Parin 1961b: 102, 117–118, 129, 166, 180, fig. 17g (morphology, systematics). Parin 1967: 52, 54 (distribution). Chirichigno & Parin 1974: 143 (in key; Ecuador, probable in Peru). Kovalevskaya 1980: 224 (listed). Parin & Astakhov 1982: 284 (lateral line system). Parin et al. 1990: 206 (distribution; Eastern Pacific). Franke & Acero 1992: 118–119 (morphometry; Parque Nacional Natural Gorgona, Colombian Pacific). Parin 1995: 1093, 1100, fig. 9a (distribution, diagnostic characters; Eastern Pacific). Grove & Lavenberg 1997: 254, fig. 122e (short description; Galapagos Is.). Olson et al. 2001a: 15 (sighting observations; Eastern Pacific). Olson et al. 2001b: 15 (sighting observations; Eastern Pacific). Love et al. 2005: 65 (listed; Eastern Pacific). Shakhovskoy & Shtaut 2008: 408–412 [395–398], figs. 3–4 (early life history stages; Eastern Pacific). Shakhovskoy & Parin 2010: 581–602 [559–579], figs. 1, 3–4, 6b (description, osteology, morphometry, distribution; Eastern Pacific). Lewallen et al. 2011: 164, figs. 2–3, 5 (molecular systematics). Kobelkowsky 2012: 1354 (morphology of ovaries; Mexico). Tripp-Valdez et al. 2015: 583, 588 (listed as prey of dolphin fish; Cabo San Lucas, Mexico).? Betancur-R et al. 2017: 6, fig. 2 (molecular phylogeny). Lewallen et al. 2018: 1758–1761, fig. 3 (habitat models; Eastern Pacific). Shakhovskoy 2018: 56–59, 64–67, 78, figs. 14–15, 18, S4 (distribution according to oceanographic factors).

Cypselurus calopterus . Olson et al. 2000: 17 (sighting observations; Eastern Pacific).

Probable misidentifications. Emperua et al. (2017) reported that C. callopterus comprises 1.7% of flying fish catch in Philippines. However, it is undoubtedly a misidentification, probably of a species of Cheilopogon (subgenus Maculocoetus ).

Holotype. The holotype of C. callopterus ( BMNH 1867.9 .23.15 according to Fricke et al. 2021) was not studied by us.

Description. For the species description see Shakhovskoy & Parin 2010.

Comparative remarks. Cypselurus callopterus is most readily distinguished from all other species of Cypselurus (except C. simus and C. poecilopterus ) in its characteristic spotted pigmentation of the pectoral fins. Two species of the genus Cheilopogon ( Ch. atrisignis and Ch. rapanouiensis ), distributed in Eastern Pacific, also have spots on the pectoral fins and may be confused with C. callopterus . These species may be distinguished from C. callopterus by longer lower jaw, usually projecting ahead of upper jaw (which is usually pointed anteriorly vs. roundish in C. callopterus ), the absence of true tricuspid jaw teeth and more anal-fin rays and vertebrae. Pectoral fin spots in these species are usually not as large and numerous as in C. callopterus and rather randomly spaced instead of being arranged in oblique rows. Juveniles of Ch. atrisignis and Ch. rapanouiensis differ in having a pair of chin barbels.