Sailfin moonfishes are a small family, Veliferidae, of lampriform

Lampriformes

Lampriformes is an order of ray-finned fish. They are collectively called "lamprids" or lampriforms, and unite such open-ocean and partially deep-sea Teleostei as the crestfishes, oarfish, opahs and ribbonfishes...

 fishes. They are found in the Indian and western Pacific Oceans.

Unlike other lampriforms, they live in shallow, coastal waters, of less than 100 metres (328.1 ft) depth, rather than in the deep ocean. They are also much smaller than most of their relatives, up to 30 centimetres (11.8 in) in length, and have deep, rather than elongated, bodies. They are characterised by their ability to retract the anterior rays of their dorsal

Dorsal fin

A dorsal fin is a fin located on the backs of various unrelated marine and freshwater vertebrates, including most fishes, marine mammals , and the ichthyosaurs...

 and anal fins into a sheath.

Species

There are 2 extant species in two genera:

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

A prehistoric fossil

Fossil

Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...

 member of the family is Veronavelifer

Veronavelifer

Veronavelifer sorbinii is an extinct sailfin moonfish from the Lutetian epoch of the Monte Bolca lagerstatten....

.