Veliferidae

{{Automatic taxobox

| fossil_range = {{fossil range|Eocene|present}}

| image = KusaAJ.jpg

| image_caption = Velifer hypselopterus

| image2 = Metavelifer multiradiatus.jpg

| image2_caption = Metavelifer multiradiatus

| taxon = Veliferidae

| authority = Bleeker, 1859

| subdivision_ranks = Genera

| subdivision = Metavelifer

Velifer

}}

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 {{convert|100|m|ft|abbr=on}} depth, rather than in the deep ocean. They are also much smaller than most of their relatives, up to {{convert|30|cm|in|abbr=on}} 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.{{cite book |editor=Paxton, J.R. |editor2=Eschmeyer, W.N.|author= Olney, John E.|year=1998|title=Encyclopedia of Fishes|publisher= Academic Press|location=San Diego|pages= 157–158|isbn= 0-12-547665-5}}

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.{{Cite journal |last1=Micklich |first1=Norbert |last2=Bannikov |first2=Alexandre F. |date=2022-10-05 |title=Oechsleria unterfeldensis, gen. et sp. nov., a sailfin velifer fish (Lampridiformes, Veliferidae) from the Oligocene of the Unterfeld ("Frauenweiler") clay pit |journal=PalZ |volume=97 |pages=81–104 |doi=10.1007/s12542-022-00633-7 |s2cid=252740621 |issn=0031-0220|doi-access=free }}
†Oechsleria unterfeldensis, from the lower Oligocene of the Bodenheim Formation, Germany.
†Veronavelifer, from the Eocene of Italy.
†Wettonius angeloi, from the Eocene of Italy.{{Cite journal |last1=Carnevale |first1=Giorgio |last2=Bannikov |first2=A. F. |date=December 2018 |title=A sailfin velifer (Lampridiformes, Veliferidae) fish from the Eocene of Monte Bolca, Italy |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/329969759 |journal=Bollettino della Società Paleontologica Italiana |volume=57 |issue=3 |pages=175–186 |doi=10.4435/BSPI.2018.11|doi-broken-date=2024-11-20 }}{{Multiple image

| image1 = Nardovelifer altipinnis.jpg

| image2 = Veronavelifer sorbinii.jpg

| align = center

| total_width = 450

| caption1 = †Nardovelifer altipinnis

| caption2 = †Veronavelifer sorbini

}}

References

{{FishBase family | family = Veliferidae | year = 2013 | month = February}}

Category:Euteleostei families