Fodiator

Fodiator is a genus of flying fishes. It is the only genus in the subfamily Fodiatorinae.

Fodiator
Fodiator acutus
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Beloniformes
Family:	Exocoetidae
Subfamily:	Fodiatorinae Fowler, 1925[1]
Genus:	Fodiator D. S. Jordan & Meek, 1885
Type species
Exocoetus acutus Valenciennes, 1847[2]
Synonyms[3]
Hemiexocoetus Fowler, 1901

Etymology

Fodiator means "one who stab," likely a reference to the long, thin, sharp snout with its projecting lower jaw.^[4]

About

Fodiator species live in marine climates, reaching a maximum length of 19 cm. They can most easily be found in Baja California, Mexico, the Gulf of California to Peru, and the Clipperton and Galapagos Islands. They have the ability to leap out of the water and glide in the air for long distances, and often rise to the surface when the water becomes warm.

To reproduce, these fish attach their eggs to small floating objects. Two species are found in the Pacific Ocean, with one also being found in the eastern Atlantic.^[5]

Species

Two species in this genus are recognized:^[5]

• Fodiator acutus (Valenciennes, 1847) (sharpchin flyingfish)
• Fodiator rostratus (Günther, 1866)