物种评估与保护

Exocoetus volitans

Source:IUCN

Taxonomy

Taxonomy in detail

Scientific name

Authority

Synonyms

Common names

Taxonomic sources

Identification Information

Taxonomic notes

Assessment Information

IUCN Red List Category and Criteria: Least Concern ver 3.1
Assessment language: English
Year published: 2015
Date assessed: 2013-01-28 00:00:00 UTC

Assessment Information in detail

Previously published Red List assessments

Regional assessments

Assessor(s)

Reviewer(s)

Contributor(s)

Facilitator(s) / Compiler(s)

Partner(s) / Institution(s)

Authority / Authorities

Justification

This epipelagic species is widely distributed and abundant where it occurs in oceanic waters. There are no known major threats, therefore, it is listed as Least Concern.

Geographic Range

Native

Extant (resident)

Extant

Number of locations

Geographic Range in detail

FAO Fishing Areas

Estimated area of occupancy (AOO) (km²)

Continuing decline in area of occupancy (AOO)

Extreme fluctuations in area of occupancy (AOO)

Estimated extent of occurrence (EOO) (km²)

Continuing decline in extent of occurrence (EOO)

Extreme fluctuations in extent of occurrence (EOO)

Continuing decline in number of locations

Extreme fluctuations in the number of locationsN

RANGE DESCRIPTION

Exocoetus volitans is widespread in tropical and subtropical zones of all oceans (Gibbs 1978). It is probably absent from the inland seas of south-east Asia (Sulawesi Sea, Sulu Sea, Flores, Banda, Ceram and Halmahera seas) (Parin 1996), and the Benguela Current (Parin and Gibbs 1990). In the eastern Pacific, it ranges from Mexico to central Chile and is also recorded around the Galapagos. In the western Pacific, it has been recorded from Japan, Marshall Islands, Philippines, Australia (Chirichigno 1974), Tahiti and the Hawaiian Islands. In the western Atlantic, it ranges from New Jersey south along the U.S.. Bermuda, the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea to southern Brazil including Trinidade Island (Parin 2002, R. Robertson pers. comm. 2012, Simon et al. 2013). In the eastern Atlantic it ranges from the Canary Islands south to Angola including the Sao Tome and Principe Islands and Ascension Island (Alfonso et al. 1999, Wirtz et al. 2014). Wandering individuals have been recorded off the Azores, Madeira, and the eastern Mediterranean Sea, but some or all of these records may be based on misidentifications (Parin and Shakhovskoy 2000). It is known from only three specimens collected in the west Mediterranean Sea. It has been reported as common off the Tunisian coast (Bradai 2000).

Population

Current population trend

Unknown

Number of mature individuals

Population severely fragmented

Continuing decline of mature individuals

Population in detail

Extreme fluctuations

No. of subpopulations

Continuing decline in subpopulations

Extreme fluctuations in subpopulations

All individuals in one subpopulation

No. of individuals in largest subpopulation

Description

This species is undoubtedly the most abundant flying fish in offshore tropical waters of all oceans at 20-29^oC. In the Atlantic Ocean, it is common between 30-35^oN and 25-30 ^oS in the west and between 20-28^oN and 20-25^oS in the east, but rare in the Gulf of Mexico from where only juvenile specimens accidentally drawn by currents are known (Parin and Shakhovskoy 2000). There is no information available on the population in the Mediterranean Sea region.

Habitat and Ecology

System

Marine

Number of mature individuals

Continuing decline in area, extent and/or quality of habitat

Generation length (years)

Congregatory

Movement patterns

Habitat and Ecology in detail

Habitat and Ecology

This epipelagic, oceanic species occurs in surface waters both near and far from the coast (Cervigón et al. 1992). It feeds mostly on crustaceans (copepods) and other planktonic animals (Gorelova and Grudtsev 1987). It is consumed by a large variety of predatory fishes, such as dolphinfishes, tunas, snake mackerel, and the rainbow runner, Elagatis bipinnulata (Vaske et al. 2006). It has pelagic eggs and exhibits intermittent spawning with each batch numbering 327-418 (mean 370) eggs (Alekseev et al. 1989). Individuals under 14 cm standard length are immature and all above 17 cm SL are ripe. The maximum age is at least one year (Parin 2002), while the maximum known size in the Atlantic Ocean is 19 cm SL, about 24 cm TL (Parin 2003).

Classification scheme

Habitats	Suitability	Major importance

Threats

Use trade

Exocoetus volitans is of no importance to fisheries. It is not recorded in the H. affinis fishery in Barbados (H. Oxenford pers. comm. 2013).

Residential & commercial development

Agriculture & aquaculture

Energy production & mining

Transportation & service corridors

Biological resource use

Human intrusions & disturbance

Natural system modifications

Pollution

Geological events

Climate change & severe weather

Threats in detail

Threats

There are no known major threats to this species.

Classification scheme Threats

title	scope	timing	score	severity

Use trade

Exocoetus volitans is of no importance to fisheries. It is not recorded in the H. affinis fishery in Barbados (H. Oxenford pers. comm. 2013).

Text summary

Text summary in detail

Conservation Actions Information

There are no species-specific conservation measures.