Remora australis

FamilyScientific NameAuthorYearCommon Name
EcheneidaeRemora australis(Bennett)1840Whalesucker

All Remora — Body not elongate, depth contained 5-8 times in standard length. Pectoral fins rounded. Color nearly uniform, without bands. Anal-fin soft rays 18-28. Caudal fin forked in young becoming emarginate or truncate in adults.

Remora australis

Unique Characters: Dark brown, darkish below. Narrow white border on dorsal and anal fins. Disc is very large, about half the length of the fish, with 24-28 laminae. Total gill rakers 17-20. . Hosts usually are cetaceans.

Similar Species:

Remora
Remora remora

Spearfish Remora Remora brachyptera

Marlinsucker
Remora osteochir

Remora Remora remora. Uniformly blackish colored. Usually 16-20 disc laminae. Pectoral fin flexible. Total gill rakers 28-37.

Spearfish Remora Remora brachyptera. Body brownish to reddish brown. Disc laminae 15-18. Pectoral-fin rays 23-27; outer two-thirds of pectoral-fin rays flexible. Total gill rakers 11-17. Preferred hosts, billfishes. Dorsal-fin soft rays 27-34. Disc length 28-40% standard length.

Marlinsucker Remora osteochir. Disc laminae 15-19. Pectoral-fin rays 20-24; pectoral-fin rays stiff to their tips in specimens longer than 150 mm standard length. Total gill rakers 11-17. Preferred hosts, billfishes. Dorsal-fin soft rays 21-27. Disc length 37-49% standard length.

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