The marlin sucker or spear-fish remora (''Remora osteochir'') is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

remora The remora (), sometimes called suckerfish or sharksucker, is any of a family (Echeneidae) of ray-finned fish in the order Carangiformes. Depending on species, they grow to long. Their distinctive first dorsal fins take the form of a modified ...

found all over the world in tropical and temperate seas. It can reach up to in

standard length Fish measurement is the measuring of individual fish and various parts of fish anatomy, their anatomies, for data used in many areas of ichthyology, including Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy and fishery biology. Overall length Standard length (SL) is ...

. It normally lives attached to a larger fish; its

host A host is a person responsible for guests at an event or for providing hospitality during it. Host may also refer to: Places * Host, Pennsylvania, a village in Berks County * Host Island, in the Wilhelm Archipelago, Antarctica People * ...

preference is for

marlin Marlins are fish from the family Istiophoridae, which includes between 9 and 11 species, depending on the taxonomic authority. Name The family's common name is thought to derive from their resemblance to a sailor's marlinspike. Taxonomy T ...

s (as the name implies) and

sailfish The sailfish is one or two species of marine fish in the genus ''Istiophorus'', which belong to the family Istiophoridae ( marlins). They are predominantly blue to gray in colour and have a characteristically large dorsal fin known as the ...

es, but it will attach to other large fish.

Description

Compared to other species of remora, ''Remora osteochir'' is sturdy with a small mouth, stiff, rounded pectoral fins and wide-base pelvic fins. It can grow to a maximum length of about . As is the case with other remoras, the front dorsal fin has been replaced by a suction disc, the length of which is 37 to 49% of the

of the fish. The disc has 15 to 19 laminae. Both the dorsal and anal fins are relatively short; the dorsal fin has 20 to 26 soft rays, the anal fin has 20 to 25 and the pectoral fins have 20 to 24 soft rays. The dorsal colouring is dark grey to black and the ventral surface is rather paler. Apart from the tips of the outer rays of the caudal fin, which are grey, the fins are black in adults, but transparent or pale grey in juveniles.

Distribution

''R. osteochir'' is found in warm temperate and subtropical seas around the world, between about 42°N and 45°S. Its depth range is down to about , but in reality, it goes where its host takes it.

Ecology

This species is normally found attached by its disc to the surface of a marlin or sailfish, but sometimes it attaches to another large fish. It attaches to the body or gill chamber, and a pair of the remoras is often present on one

fish. There is often a male fish under one operculum and a female under the other. The laminae, out of which the disc is formed, are covered with bristles which lie flat, and these provide the suction grip. The remora can detach from its host by moving forwards and reattach by moving backwards. Remoras do not harm their host but may feed on any ectoparasites, flakes of skin and stray food particles that come their way as well as consuming the fish faeces. Parasitic

copepod Copepods (; meaning 'oar-feet') are a group of small crustaceans found in nearly every freshwater and saltwater habitat (ecology), habitat. Some species are planktonic (living in the water column), some are benthos, benthic (living on the sedimen ...

s form an important part of this remora's diet.

References

External links

Photograph
{{DEFAULTSORT:sucker, marlin marlin sucker Cosmopolitan fish marlin sucker marlin sucker