Remora remora
Remora
NS
GNR
Collection Details
Specimens
Photos
There are no photos available for this taxon yet.
Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Perciformes (Perciformes, Also Called the Acanthopteri)
Echeneidae (Remoras)
Remora
Remora remora (Remora)
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
Relatively stout and depressed anteriorly, with a rounded pectoral fin, a broad-based pelvic fin, and a relatively short cephalic disc. Mouth is relatively large and extends about to anterior margin of eye. Teeth in upper jaw are villiform and arranged in a broad band. Lower jaw has villiform teeth arranged in a band, with outermost teeth slightly enlarged and recurved. Vomer has a narrow band of villiform teeth, and tongue has a tooth patch. Gill rakers on first arch are relatively long and slender and number 28 to 37. Branchiostegal rays number 9. Measurements are expressed as percent of SL: head length 25%–29%, snout length 11%–13%, eye diameter 3%–4%, upper jaw length 10%–12%, pectoral fin length 14%–18%, disc length 35%–42%, pelvic fin length 15%–16%, body depth 13%–14%. Pectoral fin has a rounded margin and 25 to 32 rays. Cephalic disc has 16 to 20 lamellae. Second dorsal fin has 21 to 27 rays. Anal fin has 20 to 24 rays. Caudal fin has a concave margin. Spinules on lamellae of cephalic disc are bluntly tipped. Vertebrae number 27.
Color is uniformly brackish, blackish, or sooty.
Distribution
In the western Atlantic it occurs from Nova Scotia and Bermuda to Argentina, including the northern and southern Gulf of Mexico.
Habitat Associations
Pelagic, associated with a wide variety of pelagic sharks
Associated with pelagic sharks, including Carcharhinus floridanus and Prionace glauca
Biology
Maximum known size is 618 mm SL.
Usually associated with sharks but also attaches itself to other large fishes, sea turtles and even ships (Ref. 2850, 58302); found in gill chambers, fins and body surface (Ref. 5951). Sometimes free-swimming (Ref. 2850). Younger individual is more active as parasite pickers (Ref. 26938). Feeds on parasitic copepods (Ref. 35388).
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; nonguarders; parental care: none.
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2012-08-23. Resilience: Medium (Assuming Fec < 10,000).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: commercial; gamefish.
References
Cressey and Lachner 1970
Hoese and Moore 1977, 1998
Lachner 1986
Heemstra 1986k
Robins and Ray 1986
Boschung 1992
Schaldach et al. 1997
Smith 1997
Smith-Vaniz et al. 1999
Collette 2002c,f
Randall, J.E. (1967) Food habits of reef fishes of the West Indies. Stud. Trop. Oceanogr. Miami 5:665-847.
Breder, C.M. and D.E. Rosen (1966) Modes of reproduction in fishes. T.F.H. Publications, Neptune City, New Jersey. 941 p.
Myers, R.F. (1991) Micronesian reef fishes. Second Ed. Coral Graphics, Barrigada, Guam. 298 p.
Heemstra, P.C. (1986) Echeneidae. p. 662-664. In M.M. Smith and P.C. Heemstra (eds.) Smiths' sea fishes. Springer-Verlag, Berlin.
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.
Vega-Cendejas, M.E., F. Arreguin-Sanchez and M. Hernandez (1993) Trophic fluxes on the Campeche Bank, Mexico. p. 206-213. In D. Pauly and V. Christensen (eds.) Trophic models of aquatic ecosystems. ICLARM Conf. Proc. 26.
Claro, R. (1994) Características generales de la ictiofauna. p. 55-70. In R. Claro (ed.) Ecología de los peces marinos de Cuba. Instituto de Oceanología Academia de Ciencias de Cuba and Centro de Investigaciones de Quintana Roo.
Mundy, B.C. (2005) Checklist of the fishes of the Hawaiian Archipelago. Bishop Mus. Bull. Zool. (6):1-704.
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.
Comments On Remora remora