Smallwing flyingfish
Oxyporhamphus micropterus
- Usual depth0–4,545 m
- Water temperature19–30 °C
- Best monthsAugust, September, and November
- How commonOccasional
About this species
Oxyporhamphus micropterus, the bigwing halfbeak, is a species of halfbeak found in the tropical oceans. Halfbeaks (Hemiramphidae) are small ray-finned fish that are closely related to flying fish (Exocoetidae), and the two families share many physical characteristics, including wing-like pectoral fins. This species is found in the Indo-Pacific region, where it is a pelagic, open-ocean species. Achille Valenciennes first described this species in 1847, naming it Exocoetus micropterus. He found the first known specimen in King George Sound, Western Australia.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Oxyporhamphus micropterus”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article
Where and when
Where it has been recorded
Worldwide
Loading the map
Best months
Worldwide (open data)
- January: 4 records
- February: 30 records
- March: 16 records
- April: 19 records
- May: 22 records
- June: 15 records
- July: 29 records
- August: 191 records
- September: 180 records
- October: 168 records
- November: 183 records
- December: 62 records
Depth and water temperature
Depth
Mostly recorded at 0–4,545 m · Deepest record: 5,035 m
Water temperature
Recorded in surface water of 19–30 °C
Names and classification
- English
- Smallwing flyingfish, Atlantic smallwing flyingfish, Bigwing halfbeak, Beaked Flying-fish, Beaked Flyingfish, Bigwing Halfbeak, Oceanic Flying Halfbeak, smallwing flyingfish
Names in 3 more languages
- Spanish
- volador alita
- French
- Demi-bec à aile longue
- Japanese
- サヨリトビウオ
Other scientific names: Evolantia micropterus, Exocoetus micropterus, Hemiramphus argenteus, Hemiramphus cuspidatus
Similar species
- Black-barred halfbeak
Hemiramphus far
- Dussumier's halfbeak
Hyporhamphus dussumieri
- Half-beak
Hyporhamphus quoyi
- Atlantic silverstripe halfbeak
Hyporhamphus unifasciatus
- Ribbon halfbeak
Euleptorhamphus viridis
- Halfbeak
Hemiramphus convexus
Sources and credits
Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).
- Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
- Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
- Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
- 1,999 open-data records from 1826 to 2024.
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