Remora osteochir
Marlinsucker
Collection Details
Specimens
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Perciformes (Perciformes, Also Called the Acanthopteri)
Echeneidae (Remoras)
Remora
Remora osteochir (Marlinsucker)
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.
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Characters
Relatively stout and depressed anteriorly, with a relatively stiff, rounded pectoral fin and a broad-based pelvic fin. Mouth is relatively small and extends about two-thirds of the distance from tip of snout to anterior margin of eye. Teeth in upper jaw are villiform and arranged in a broad band, with some near symphysis slightly enlarged. Lower jaw has villiform teeth arranged in a band, with outermost teeth slightly enlarged. Vomer has a narrow band of teeth, and tongue has a tooth patch. Gill rakers on first arch number 11 to 17. Branchiostegal rays number 9. Measurements are expressed as percent of SL: head length 20%–22%, snout length 9%–10%, eye diameter about 2%, upper jaw length about 7%, pectoral fin length 16%–18%, disc length 41%–45%, pelvic fin length 13%–14%, body depth 7%–10%. Pectoral fin has rounded margin and 20 to 24 rays. Cephalic disc has 15 to 19 lamellae. Second dorsal fin has 20 to 26 rays. Anal fin has 20 to 25 rays. Caudal fin has concave margin. Spinules on lamellae of cephalic disc are blunt and, in specimens longer than 150 mm SL, are arranged in four irregular rows per lamella.
Color is dark gray to black and darker dorsally than ventrally, with margins of dorsal and anal fins also dark.
Distribution
In the western Atlantic it occurs from the northern and southern Gulf of Mexico and from Bermuda to Brazil.
Gulf of Mexico
Habitat Associations
Tropical to warm temperate seas, associated with billfishes (Xiphiidae)
Biology
Maximum known size is 386 mm SL
Oceanic species with a strong preference for marlins and sailfish as hosts, but may occasionally cling to other large fishes. Attaches to the body or gill chamber of the host (Ref. 10791). Oviparous. Distinct pairing during breeding (Ref. 57896).
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; mating system: monogamy; nonguarders; parental care: none. Oviparous. From collection study observations, a mature pair is often found attached to a single host, most often a billfish, indicative of distinct pairing during breeding (Ref. 57896).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2012-08-23. Resilience: Medium (Fec = 8,100).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: of no interest.
References
Cressey and Lachner 1970
Hoese and Moore 1977
Lachner 1986
Robins and Ray 1986
Boschung 1992
Schaldach et al. 1997
Smith-Vaniz et al. 1999
Collette 2002c,f
Breder, C.M. and D.E. Rosen (1966) Modes of reproduction in fishes. T.F.H. Publications, Neptune City, New Jersey. 941 p.
Masuda, H., K. Amaoka, C. Araga, T. Uyeno and T. Yoshino (1984) The fishes of the Japanese Archipelago. Vol. 1. Tokai University Press, Tokyo, Japan. 437 p. (text).
Edwards, A. (1990) Fish and fisheries of Saint Helena Island. Centre for Tropical Coastal Management Studies, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, England.
Paxton, J.R., D.F. Hoese, G.R. Allen and J.E. Hanley (1989) Pisces. Petromyzontidae to Carangidae. Zoological Catalogue of Australia, Vol. 7. Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra, 665 p.
Lachner, E.A. and A. Post (1990) Echeneidae. p. 725-728. In J. C. Quéro, 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.
Costa, F. (1991) Atlante dei pesci dei mari italiani. Gruppo Ugo Mursia Editore S.p.A. Milano, Italy. 438 p.
Morota, A. and K. Fujita (1995) Interrelationships of echeneids and their hosts, and the reproductive habits of Remora osteochir in Hawaiian waters. Gyoruigaku Zasshi 42(2):203-207.
Fricke, R., M. Kulbicki and L. Wantiez (2011) Checklist of the fishes of New Caledonia, and their distribution in the Southwest Pacific Ocean (Pisces). Stuttgarter Beiträge zur Naturkunde A, Neue Serie 4:341-463.
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