Metavelifer , or fan-fish [2] ( lat. Metavelifer multiradiatus ) is a species of ray- fin fish of the monotypic genus metavelifer [2] ( Metavelifer ) of the family Veliferidae [3] .
| Metavelifer |
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| No rank : | Bilateral symmetrical |
| Gender: | Metavelifer Walters (1960 ) |
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Metavelifer multiradiatus ( Regan , 1907) |
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- Velifer multispinosus Smith, 1951 [1]
- Velifer multiradiatus Regan, 1907 [1]
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Distributed in the Indian Ocean in the coastal waters of Madagascar , in the western and central Pacific Ocean are found off the coast of Australia , New Zealand , Japan and Hawaiian Islands . They live on the continental shelf at a depth of 40 to 240 m [4] .
The body is tall, laterally compressed, with a maximum length of 28 cm. The dorsal and anal fins are long and tall. The dorsal fin has 21–22 hard rays and 20–23 soft rays. In the anal fin there are 17–18 hard and 16–18 soft rays. A characteristic feature of the species, as well as other representatives of the Velifer family, is the ability to retract the front rays of the dorsal and anal fins into special depressions. There are 9 rays in the ventral fin [4] [5] .
