Veliferidae Explained

Sailfin moonfishes are a small family, Veliferidae, of lampriform fishes found in the Indian and western Pacific Oceans. Unlike other lampriforms, they live in shallow, coastal waters, of less than 100m (300feet) depth, rather than in the deep ocean. They are also much smaller than most of their relatives, up to 30cm (10inches) in length, and have deep, rather than elongated, bodies. They are characterised by their ability to retract the anterior rays of their dorsal and anal fins into a sheath.^[1]

Species

The two extant species in two genera are:

• Genus Metavelifer Walters, 1960
  • Metavelifer multiradiatus (Regan, 1907)
• Genus Velifer Temminck and Schlegel, 1850
  • Velifer hypselopterus Bleeker, 1879

Fossil record

• Nardovelifer, from the Campanian of Italy.^[2]
• Oechsleria unterfeldensis, from the lower Oligocene of the Bodenheim Formation, Germany.
• Veronavelifer, from the Eocene of Italy.
• Wettonius angeloi, from the Eocene of Italy.^[3]

Notes and References

1. Book: Paxton, J.R. . Eschmeyer, W.N.. Olney, John E.. 1998. Encyclopedia of Fishes. Academic Press. San Diego. 157–158. 0-12-547665-5.
2. Micklich . Norbert . Bannikov . Alexandre F. . 2022-10-05 . Oechsleria unterfeldensis, gen. et sp. nov., a sailfin velifer fish (Lampridiformes, Veliferidae) from the Oligocene of the Unterfeld ("Frauenweiler") clay pit . PalZ . 97 . 81–104 . 10.1007/s12542-022-00633-7 . 252740621 . 0031-0220. free .
3. Carnevale . Giorgio . Bannikov . A. F. . December 2018 . A sailfin velifer (Lampridiformes, Veliferidae) fish from the Eocene of Monte Bolca, Italy . Bollettino della Societa Paleontologica Italiana . 57 . 3 . 175–186 . 10.4435/BSPI.2018.11. 2024-04-24 .