Giant oarfish | |
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A taxidermied specimen of Regalecus glesne in Naturhistorisches Museum Wien | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Actinopterygii |
Order: | Lampriformes |
Family: | Regalecidae |
Genus: | Regalecus |
Species: | R. glesne |
Binomial name | |
Regalecus glesne Ascanius, 1772 | |
Synonyms [2] | |
Synonyms
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The giant oarfish (Regalecus glesne) is a species of oarfish of the family Regalecidae. It is an oceanodromous species with a worldwide distribution, excluding polar regions. Other common names include Pacific oarfish, king of herrings, ribbonfish, and streamer fish.
R. glesne is the world's longest ray-finned fish. Its shape is ribbon-like, narrow laterally, with a dorsal fin along its entire length, stubby pectoral fins, and long, oar-shaped pelvic fins, from which its common name is derived. [3] Its coloration is silver and blue with spots of dark pigmentation, and its fins are crimson. [4] Its physical characteristics and undulating mode of swimming have led to speculation that it might be the source of many "sea serpent" sightings. [5]
R. glesne was first described by Peter Ascanius in 1772. The genus name, Regalecus (from Latin ‘regalis’ meaning royal), signifies "belonging to a king"; the specific epithet glesne is from "Glesnaes", the name of a farm at Glesvær (not far from Norway's second largest city of Bergen), where the type specimen was found.[ citation needed ]
Its "king of herrings" nickname may derive from its crownlike appendages and from being sighted near shoals of herring, which fishermen thought were being guided by this fish. [6] Its common name, oarfish, is probably an allusion to the shape of its pelvic fins, or else it may refer to the long slender shape of the fish itself. [7]
The giant oarfish has a worldwide distribution, having been found as far north as 72°N and as far south as 52°S, but is most commonly found in the tropics to middle latitudes. [8] It has been categorized as oceanodromous, following its primary food source. [9] It can be found in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, though it is more widely distributed in the Atlantic. The fish is thought to be cosmopolitan in distribution, though it is not found in the polar regions. It is thought to inhabit the sunlit epipelagic to dimly lit mesopelagic zones. The deepest verified account of R. glesne is 463–492m (1519–1614 ft) from the Gulf of Mexico, as part of the Gulf SEPRENT project [10] .
This species is the world's longest bony fish, reaching a record length of about 7–8 m (23–26 ft), and a maximum record weight of 272 kg (600 lbs). [3] Older, much longer estimates are now considered "very likely inaccurate". [11] It is commonly measured to 3 m (9.8 ft) in total length. [8]
Few R. glesne larvae have been identified and described in situ. These larvae exhibit an elongated body with rays extending from the occipital crest and a long pelvic fin, identical to that of the adult fish. [12] Unlike the adult form of the species, the skin of the larvae is almost entirely transparent with intermittent spots of dark coloration along the organism's dorsum and head. [12] This dark pigmentation is presumably an adaptation developed for counter-shading when the adult fish is vertical in the water column. Additionally, the larvae possess a caudal fin with four fin rays, which is a trait not present in the adult form of the species. In some larger juvenile specimens, body coloration similar to that of the adult form was observed. [12] Observations of larvae specimen of Regalecus glesne captured off the island coast of Palagruža analyzed the size of these specimens. The larvae specimen was measured to be 103.4 mm with a body height of around 7 mm. [13]
Adults have a pale silver ribbonlike body shape that is laterally compressed and extremely elongated with a dorsal fin along its entire length from between its eyes to the tip of its tail, ranging in color from faint pinkish to a bright red. [12] The body often has dark wavy markings resembling spots or stripes. There is a black coloration of the membrane between the opercle and the other head bones. [3] A series of faint horizontal stripes is evident in some specimens, while absent in others. [3] The skin is scaleless, with extensive tuberculation. [3]
The dorsal fin rays are soft and number between 414 and 449 in total. [4] At the head of the fish, the first 10–12 of these dorsal fin rays are lengthened, forming the distinctive red crest associated with the species. [4] Its pectoral and pelvic fins are nearly adjacent. The pectoral fins are stubby while the pelvic fins are long, single-rayed, and reminiscent of an oar in shape, widening at the tip. There are no anal fins. The caudal fin is usually under 2 m in length, with most well under 1 m [3] and has four rays. In most specimens, the caudal fins are badly broken or absent entirely. Its head is small with the protrusible jaw typical of lampriformes. [3] The species has 33 to 47 gill rakers on the first gill arch, no teeth, and the inside of the mouth is black. [3] It has a pair of large eyes just above the mouth.
The organs of the giant oarfish are concentrated toward the head end of the body, possibly enabling it to survive losing large portions of its tail. It has no swim bladder. [14] The liver of R. glesne is orange or red, the likely result of astaxanthin in its diet. [15] The lateral line begins above and behind the eye then, descending to the lower third of the body, extends to the caudal tip. [16] There is a postabdominal gastric caecum, a tube which extends from the end of the stomach to the end of the body. The function of this structure is unknown, as no food items have been observed within it. It is not necessary for vital functions, as Regalecus have lost half or all of the caecum and survived without it. [3]
R. glesne may be confused with the Russell's Oarfish or R. russelii. The two can be distinguished by the number of rays in the second dorsal fin crest (11 in R. glesne and one in R. russellii). R. glesne also has a smaller snout-vent length, about one-fourth of the standard body length, whereas R. russellii has a larger snout-vent length, about one-third of the standard body length. R. glense has a longer abdomen than R. russellii.R. russellii has more gill rakers (47–60), and a single dorsal fin crest with a single ray, whereas R. glesne has fewer gill rakers (33–47) and second dorsal fin crest with 5–11 rays. [3] There are also a difference in the number of pre-anus dorsal fin rays, with R. russellii having less than 82 and R. glesne over 90. [17]
The only reliable record of the early stages of Regalecus is a report of eggs from the western Pacific, identified using DNA barcoding techniques [8] , and a juvenile (13.7 mm in standard length) identified from developed morphological features. R. glesne eggs are observed to be circular in shape, with numerous short spines (ca. 0.04 mm) that were uniformly scattered all over the chorion. [19]
Little is known about oarfish behavior. It has been observed swimming by means of undulating its dorsal fin, and also swimming in a vertical position using undulatory movements of both its body and dorsal fin. [20] In 2010, scientists filmed a giant oarfish in the Gulf of Mexico swimming in the mesopelagic layer, the first footage of a reliably identified R. glesne in its natural setting. The footage was caught during a survey, using an ROV in the vicinity of Thunder Horse PDQ, and shows the fish swimming in a columnar orientation, tail downward. [21]
There is little known about the feeding habits of Regalecus. Most accounts report the stomach and gut as empty, or with colored liquid inside. There is one account of R. glesne with a gut content of thousands of krill. [3] Another report of the stomach contents of two adult R. glesne consisted of 43 heads and 7 individuals of Mediterranean krill. [19]
The number of crests in R. glesne increases as the fish grows. Juveniles begin with a single dorsal fin ray. After the larvae grows to about 50 mm, the rays following the first ray grow increasingly ornate and elongate.
There are few noted parasitoids of Regalecidae. An adult female R. glesne was found to be host to at least 63 plerocercoids (the infective larvae of tapeworms) consistent with the characteristics of the larvae of the genus Clistobothrium. [22]
R. glesne shows evidence of self-amputation of the body posterior to the vent. This amputation can either be just involving the caudal fin and a small number of vertebrae, or it may be the entire posterior part of the body. As the organs of R. glesne are concentrated in the front portion of the body, these amputations do not damage any vital organs. These amputations are noted to occur several times throughout the lifetime of the fish (serial autotomy), and all fish over 1.5 m long have bodies shortened by this. [3] It is unclear why these amputations occur, as oarfish have no documented natural predators, so it is unlikely to be a predation response. Despite a common misconception that oarfish are preyed on by sharks, no documented shark attacks on oarfish have been documented. [3] There is one recorded instance of a pod of pilot whales attacking an oarfish, but they did not eat it. [3]
There have been no documented attempts to quantify the population size of R. glesne. There is at least one population in the Northern Atlantic, and an isolated reproductive population in the Mediterranean. Very early life stages have been found near the Gulf Coast of Florida and off the coast of Canada. [3] Eggs have been found in the waters of New Zealand and near the West Mariana ridge in the western North Pacific. [19] The species is listed as "Least Concern" on the IUCN Red List.
R. glesne is not fished commercially, but it is an occasional bycatch in commercial nets. [2] [26] When cooked, the taste of an oarfish is described as “like paper.” [27] R. glesne was offered to a dog who regularly consumes fish, and was refused. Six people agreed to try fried oarfish and said that the taste was suitable, but the flesh was extremely flaccid, and overall objectionable. [28]
Due to their size, elongated bodies, and undulating swimming pattern, giant oarfish are presumed to be responsible for some sea serpent sightings. [29] Formerly considered rare, the species is now suspected to be relatively common, although sightings of healthy specimens in their natural habitat are unusual. [26]
The giant oarfish, and the related R. russelii, are sometimes known as "earthquake fish" because they are popularly believed to surface before and after an earthquake. [30] [31]
The Egyptian deity Ḥȝyšš, of which 16 depictions are known, is described as a horse-headed snake god and found on coffins and sarcophagi. It has been proposed that this is a depiction of R. glesne, based on the similarity of the elongated fins and coloration. [32]
The Moorish idol is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Zanclidae. It is the only member of the monospecific genus Zanclus and the only extant species within the Zanclidae. This species is found on reefs in the Indo-Pacific region.
The Atlantic tripletail, also known as the black grunt, black perch, buoy fish, buoyfish, brown triple tail, brown tripletail, conchy leaf, dusky triple-tail, dusky tripletail, flasher, sleepfish, triple tail, triple-tail, tripletail, or tripple tail is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Lobotidae. This fish is found in tropical and subtropical waters around the world except for the eastern Pacific Ocean.
Oarfish are large, greatly elongated, pelagic lampriform fish belonging to the small family Regalecidae. Found in areas spanning from temperate ocean zones to tropical ones, yet rarely seen, the oarfish family contains three species in two genera. One of these, the giant oarfish, is the longest bony fish alive, growing up to about 8 m (26 ft) in length.
The Atlantic threadfin is a species of ray-finned fish, a threadfin from the family Polynemidae native to subtropical and temperate waters of the western Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico.
King-of-the-salmon, is a species of ribbonfish in the family Trachipteridae. Its common name comes from the legends of the Makah people west of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, which hold that this fish leads the salmon annually to their spawning grounds. Catching or eating king-of-the-salmon was forbidden, as it was feared killing one would stop the salmon run. This myth is reflected by a former specific epithet used for this fish, rex-salmonorum, rex being Latin for "king". The king-of-the-salmon is found in the eastern Pacific Ocean from Alaska to Chile. It is usually found in the open ocean to a depth of 900 meters, though adults sometimes feed on the sea bottom.
The mouse catshark is a species of shark belonging to the family Pentanchidae, the deepwater catsharks. It is common in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean from Iceland to Western Sahara. There is much taxonomic confusion regarding this species in Icelandic waters, where it may be confounded with another species of Galeus or Apristurus. Probably not exceeding 49 cm (19 in) long, the mouse catshark has a uniformly brown body and is characterized by large, rounded pelvic fins and crests of enlarged dermal denticles along both the dorsal and ventral caudal fin margins. In addition, in adult males the inner margins of the pelvic fins are merged into an "apron".
The peppered catshark is a common but little-known species of shark belonging to the family Pentanchidae, the deepwater catsharks. This species inhabits depths of 130–1,326 m (427–4,350 ft) in the northern Gulf of California. It is found on or near the ocean floor, and conducts seasonal migrations, spending winter in deeper water. Reaching a length of 37 cm (15 in), this species has a slender grayish body with a fine covering of black dots. On the dorsal edge of its caudal fin is a prominent crest of enlarged dermal denticles. It is oviparous, with the reproductive period probably lasting from May to September. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed the peppered catshark under Least Concern, as it faces no significant threats from human activity.
The inshore lizardfish is a member of the family Synodontidae found in the western Atlantic. According to the IUCN red list for endangered species, the inshore lizard fish "has most recently been assessed for the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in 2013. Synodus foetens is listed as Least Concern".
The Red Sea bannerfish is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish from the family Chaetodontidae. It is found in the western Indian Ocean. It has been recorded as an introduced species off Florida and as a Lessepsian migrant in the eastern Mediterranean Sea off Turkey.
The Hong Kong grouper is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a grouper from the subfamily Epinephelinae which is part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the anthias and sea basses. It is found in eastern and southeastern Asian waters of the Western Pacific Ocean. Its natural habitats are shallow seas and coral reefs.
The rainbow runner, also known as the rainbow yellowtail, Spanish jack and Hawaiian salmon, is a common species of pelagic marine fish of the jack family, Carangidae. The species is widespread throughout the tropical and subtropical waters of the world, inhabiting both coastal and offshore areas. The species is the only member of the genus Elagatis, which was created 15 years after its initial description, and is closely related to the amberjacks. The rainbow runner is easily distinguished by its body shape, and the brilliant colouration which gives the fish its name. It is a fast-swimming predator, taking small fish, cephalopods, and a wide variety of planktonic crustaceans. The species reaches sexual maturity around 60 cm (24 in), and spawning takes place at different times, with some populations spawning year round, while others only spawn at certain times of the year. The species is a well known game fish, taken by a variety of fishing methods, and is a well-regarded table fish. Large numbers of the species are taken as bycatch in tuna- and shark-fishing operations and marketed.
Bajaichthys is an extinct Ypresian zeid from the Monte Bolca Lagerstätten of Italy. It contains a single species, B. elegans, and is the only member of the family Bajaichthyidae.
The popeye catalufa, also known as the bigeye soldierfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish in the family Priacanthidae, the bigeyes. This fish has an overall dusky orange to red colour with white markings. The dorsal fin appears feathery while rest of fins have black margins. It occurs in the eastern Pacific, where it is found from Oregon to Chile. It occasionally makes its way into the aquarium trade. It grows to a size of 34 centimetres (13 in) in length. This species is nocturnal and shy, preferring deeper waters off islands. It has been recorded associating with squirrelfishes and cardinalfishes but the popeye catalufa goes as deep as 76 metres (249 ft), deeper than its associated species. This species has been recorded from rocky habitats at depths of less than 5 metres (16 ft) to over 100 metres (330 ft). It is a carnivorous species and, when kept in captivity, is known to feed on worms, crustaceans and brittle stars.
The giant African threadfin is a species of ray-finned fish from the threadfin family Polynemidae. It is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean off the west coast of Africa.
Figaro is a genus of shark, and part of the family Pentanchidae, the deepwater catsharks. Until 2008, Figaro was generally considered to be a subgenus of Galeus, the sawtail catsharks. The two known species are found off Australia, inhabiting deep, offshore waters on or near the bottom. Figaro contains small, slender, firm-bodied sharks that bear distinctive crests of enlarged, spiny dermal denticles along the dorsal and ventral edges of their short caudal fins. The caudal peduncle is relatively long, such as that the anal and caudal fins are some distance apart. In adult males, the inner margins of the pelvic fins are fused together to form a subtle "apron" over the claspers. F. boardmani is a predator of fishes, crustaceans, and cephalopods, and is oviparous; less is known about the F. striatus. Both are harmless and are of no economic importance.
Clinus agilis, the agile klipfish, is a species of clinid found in subtropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean from Namibia to South Africa where it is commonly found in estuaries and tide pools. This species can reach a maximum length of 10 centimetres (3.9 in).
The chain pipefish is a pipefish species. It inhabits the western Atlantic from Virginia, Bermuda and northern Gulf of Mexico to Campeche and Jamaica, but is absent from the Bahamas. It is a marine subtropical reef-associated fish, up to 38 cm length.
Agrostichthys parkeri, also called the streamer fish, is a species of oarfish. Only seven identified specimens have been examined, with few found fully intact, and have mainly been found in the Southern Ocean. Agrostichthys parkeri belongs to the Regalecidae (oarfish) family in the Lampriformes order and is the only known member of its genus. This species has been known to grow up to 3 metres (9.8 ft) long and has a ribbon-like body, two large eyes, a protruding mouth and long filamentous rays originating at the head. Due to only seven specimens being found, only the distribution and anatomy of Agrostichthys parkeri can be documented.
Lutjanus russellii, Russell's snapper, Moses snapper, fingermark bream, Moses seaperch or Russell's sea-perch, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a snapper belonging to the family Lutjanidae. It is native to the western Pacific Ocean.
Regalecus russelii, or Russell's oarfish, is a species of oarfish in the family Regalecidae. It is a broadly-distributed marine fish, found in waters in the bathypelagic zone. R. russelii is a scaleless, elongate and ribbonlike fish, growing up to 8 meters in length.
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: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)TOYAMA – A rarely seen deep-sea fish regarded as something of a mystery has been giving marine experts food for thought recently after showing up in large numbers along the Sea of Japan coast.