Flying fish has specialized pectoral fins. When they are activated, they will rush out of the water, expand their pectoral fins and flap their caudal fin to glide. The pectoral fins are controlled by two groups of muscles in which the external appearance is pink. No histological investigations have been made on their muscles to verify whether they are red muscles. The purposes of this study were to compare the pectoral fin muscle, trunk white muscle and trunk red muscle by histological and proteome methods so as to understand if the pectoral fin muscles is red muscles and to infer their function. Cyselurus poecilopteins was used for this study, Result show that the sizes for the cross section of the pectoral-fin-muscle-fibers were between the white and red muscles, and a large amount of connective tissue and fat tissues are present in the space among the muscle cells. It is interpreted the pectoral fin muscles of flying fish might not belong to white muscle and red muscle, and they probably utilize lipid metabolism to provide enough energy for the gliding activates. The proteomic pages for the three muscle types were compared and differences were found in the muscle proteins: actin, myosin regulatory light chain, myosin light polypeptide; enzymes: isocitrate dehydrogenase, malate synthase, queuosine biosynthesis protein¡Fstress proteins: heat shock protein (HSP70 and HSP60). Expressions of these proteins were high in the pectoral-fin muscles than in the white and red muscles. These results suggest that the flying fish¡¦ pectoral-fin muscles may involve in the oxidative and glycolysis pathways, and the muscle fibers type maybe belong to an intermediate type of muscle fiber.

Flyingfish has significant meaning on three different dimensions: ecology, culture and fisheries at Kuroshio off Taiwan. However, the figures of catch dropped nearly 60% in 2006-2007, which has led scientist to pay more attention on the sustainability of resources for the species. On the other hand, with little knowledge of reproductive biology and life history of the species, it is difficult to change the situation. Reproductive biology is an important basic study, which is to discover the life history of a species ,also it assesses changes in their resources and reproductive potential. Cypselurus poecilopterus is the most important dominant species in Kuroshio waters of Taiwan, and also an economical species. The reproductive biological study of Cypselurus poecilopterus would be great benefit on further studies. This study performed from April 2008 to June 2010, sampling from diverse areas, Pingtung, Taitung, Hualien, Ilan and Ludao, collected total 2174 individuals, including 1756 males, 418 females and 7 were unable to identify. Fork length (FL) range from 15.2cm ~ 22.1cm. All samples were measured by the total length (TL), fork length (FL), body weight (BW) and other data, and the gonadal histological examination, and the female sex ratio, gonadosomatic index (GSI), condition factor (CF). The results shows that only 5% of female with fork length less than 18.5cm, while more than 80% with more than 20.5cm; via gonadal histological examination, the occyte development can be divided into chromatin-nucleolus stage, peri- nucleolus stage, yolk stage, migratory nucleus stage and ripe egg stage, five stages. When female GSI is greater than 4, it reaches matured, and the fork length of the smallest matured individual is 16.3cm, average length at 50% sexual maturity was estimated to be 18.6 cm FL for female; the annual reproductive period is April to August, and the monthly female sex ratio seems like would be raise with the closing of reproductive period. Fecundity is about 13000 ~ 36000; Cypselurus poecilopterus is estimated to be simultaneous mature species by the gonadal histological examination and egg diameter measurements.