Masturus lanceolatus
No common name
Collection Details
Specimens
Photos
There are no photos available for this taxon yet.
Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Tetraodontiformes (Pufferfishes and Allies)
Molidae (Molas)
Masturus
Masturus lanceolatus
Description
This species account was compiled from
Composite (multiple sources) (McEachran, J.D. and J.D. Fechhelm. Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico. University of Texas Press, Austin.)
and processed using AI-assisted text extraction.
It may contain errors in spelling, punctuation, or formatting.
When citing, please reference the original source rather than this page.
Learn more about our species accounts.
Characters
Orbicular, compressed, and truncate posteriorly, with clavus supported by vertebral and dorsal and anal fin elements and possessing a pronounced lobe. Head lacks ridges above and below eye. Mouth is small and terminal. Nostril is very small. Eye possesses a nictitating membrane. Gill opening is small, semicircular, and directed posteriorly. Gill rakers are covered with skin. Pectoral fin is short and rounded and has 7 to 10 rays. Dorsal fin has 18 to 20 rays. Median lobe of clavus is about equal to head length, is supported by three to nine rays, and lacks terminal ossifications. Body is covered with thick collagenous skin and bears small scutelike scales.
Color is silvery blue, often with silvery spots on sides.
Distribution
In the western Atlantic it occurs from Massachusetts Bay to the northern Gulf of Mexico.
In the Gulf of Mexico it has been recorded from Mississippi and Louisiana.
Habitat Associations
Oceanic, but a weak swimmer. Most records are based on strandings along the shore, resulting from unfavorable winds and currents that transport specimens into shallow water.
Biology
Maximum known size is 200 cm TL.
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; nonguarders (open water/substratum egg scatterers); parental care: none.
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2011-06-07. Resilience: Low (K=0.04-0.05; tmax=23;).
References
Raven 1939b
Fraser-Brunner 1951
Tortonese 1986f
Boschung 1992
Smith 1997
Klein-MacPhee 2002c
Matsuura 2002e
Breder, C.M. and D.E. Rosen (1966) Modes of reproduction in fishes. T.F.H. Publications, Neptune City, New Jersey. 941 p.
Tortonese, E. (1990) Molidae. p. 1077-1079. In J.C. Quero, J.C. Hureau, C. Karrer, A. Post and L. Saldanha (eds.) Check-list of the fishes of the eastern tropical Atlantic (CLOFETA). JNICT, Lisbon; SEI, Paris; and UNESCO, Paris. Vol. 2.
Figueiredo, J.L. and N.A. Menezes (2000) Manual de peixes marinhos do sudeste do Brasil. VI.Teleostei (5). Museu de Zoologia, Universidade de São Paulo. Brazil. 116 p.
Matsuura, K. (2003) Molidae. Molas (ocean sunfishes, headfishes). p. 2014-2015. In K.E. Carpenter (ed.) FAO species identification guide for fishery purposes. The living marine resources of the Western Central Atlantic. Vol. 3: Bony fishes part 2 (Opistognathidae to Molidae), sea turtles and marine mammals.
Mundy, B.C. (2005) Checklist of the fishes of the Hawaiian Archipelago. Bishop Mus. Bull. Zool. (6):1-704.
Patzner, R.A. (2008) Reproductive strategies of fish. pp. 311-350. In Rocha, M.J., A. Arukwe and B.G. Kapoor (eds). Fish reproduction: cytology, biology and ecology. Science Publisher, Inc. Oxford. 631 p.
Bakenhaster, M.D. and J.S. Knight-Gray (2016) New diet data for Mola mola and Masturus lanceolatus (Tetraodontiformes: Molidae) off Florida's Atlantic coast with discussion of historical context. Bulletin of Marine Science 92(4):497-511.
Comments On Masturus lanceolatus