Brown Remora

The ancient Greeks and Romans had written widely about Remoras and had ascribed to them many magical powers such as the ability to cause an abortion if handled in a certain way. Shamans in Madagascar to this day attach portions of the Remora's suction disk to the necks of wives to assure faithfulness in their husbands absence.

The ancient Romans actually attributed the death of Emperor Caligula to Remoras. They were believed to be fastened onto his ship, holding it back and allowing the enemy ships to overtake it.The Latin name Remora actually means "holding back" (McClane 1998).

Perception Channels: tactile ; chemical

US Federal List: no special status

CITES: no special status

No known negative impacts

The remora is of unique value to humans. The fish itself is not generally eaten, but is instead used as a means of catching large fish and sea turtles. Fishermen in countries around the world use them by attaching a line to their tails and then releasing them. The remora will then swim off and attach itself to a large fish or turtle, which can then be pulled in by a careful fisherman. The remora is not held in high esteem as a food fish, although the Australian aborigines are said to eat them after using them on fishing trips. On the other hand, aborigines from the West Indies never ate their "hunting fish" and instead sang songs of praise and reverence to them.

The Remora clings to a host, such as large sharks, sea turtles, bony fishes, rays, and marine mammals.The Remora has long been thought to detach itself from its host and dart around feeding on its scraps (Herald 1962). It was later felt that ectoparasites on the host's body or gill chambers formed an important part of their diet. Recently it was shown that both of these are utilized as food sources and that planktonic organisms and fish may also be part of the Remora's diet (Bohlke and Chaplin 1993).

Common in warmer parts of all oceans.Western Mediterranean and Atlantic from the North Sea southwards (Unesco 1989).

Biogeographic Regions: indian ocean (Native ); atlantic ocean (Native ); pacific ocean (Native )

The Remora is a pelagic marine fish that is usually found in the warmer parts of most oceans clinging on to large sharks, sea turtles, bony fishes and other marine mammals (Marshall 1965).

Remora remora is a short, thick-set sucking fish (Marshall 1965).The Remora has 28-37 long slender gillrakers, 21-27 dorsal fin rays, 20-24 anal fin rays, and 25-32 pectoral fin ray (Unesco 1989). The dorsal and anal fins lack spines (Nelson 1984). The Remora has no swim bladder and uses a sucking disc on the top of its head to obtain rides from other animals such as large sharks, and sea turtles. The sucking disk, developed from a transformed spinous dorsal fin, contains 16-20 transverse movable lamina which create a partial vaccuum permitting the Remora to obtain rides on larger animals (Nelson 1984). The head is rather long and flattened, 26-29% of the standard length, with the disc being 34-42% of the standard length. The lower jaw projects past the upper jaw and the teeth, located in jaws and vomer in a villiform patch, are sharply pointed and recurved slightly inward. The scales are small and cycloid (Unesco 1989, Nelson 1984), and the color, nearly uniform above and below, is blackish or brownish (Marshall 1965). The Remora grows to about 18 inches (Marshall 1965).

Other Physical Features: bilateral symmetry

Near nothing is known about the Remora's breeding habits or larval development.Specimens as small as an inch have been noted to resemble adults in all aspects except size, but nothing is known about how or where they spawn (McClane 1998).

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); planktonic and benthic invertebrates (Ref. 33).

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 22 - 26; Analspines: 0; Analsoft rays: 22 - 24

Dark brownish grey in color (Ref. 4389). During the course of development, fin is transformed into a suction disc (Ref. 35388). Deeper-bodied than Echeneis naucrates (Ref. 37816).

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).

fisheries: commercial

分布於全世界溫暖之各海域。台灣周邊海域均有。

罕見之魚種。

體延長，頭部扁平，向後漸成圓柱狀，頂端有由第一背鰭變形而成的吸盤，其鰭條由盤中央向兩側裂生成為鰭瓣(laminae)約有16-20個；尾柄細，前端圓柱狀，後端漸側扁。吻平扁，前端略尖。口大，口裂寬，不可伸縮，下頜前突；上下頜、鋤骨、腭骨及舌上均具齒。鰓耙數在28-37。耙體被小圓鱗，除頭部及吸盤無鱗外，全身均被鱗。背鰭兩個，第一背鰭變形而成吸盤，吸盤不及胸鰭後端；第二背鰭起點在臀鰭之前；腹鰭胸位，小形；胸鰭鈍圓；尾鰭叉形尾。體一致為深藍或灰黑色；背、臀鰭緣及尾鰭上下緣較淡黃。

大洋性魚種，近海或表層可見，或隨宿主任意游動。最常寄生於鮫類，如虎鯊(/Galeocerdo cuvieri/)等，甚至於海龜身上亦可見，偶爾也會依附在其他大魚身上，但比例極少。偶獨立自主的活動，一般都是隨著宿主被捕獲。

The common remora (Remora remora) is a pelagic marine fish belonging to family Echeneidae. The dorsal fin, which has 22 to 26 soft rays, acts as a suction cup, creating a vacuum to allow it to attach to larger marine animals, such as whales, dolphins, sharks, and sea turtles.

Usually associated with sharks but also attaches itself to other large fishes, sea turtles and even ships. Sometimes free-swimming (Ref. 2850).

Feeds on parasitic copepods

cosmopolitan in warm seas, occasionally straying into the western North Atlantic north of Cape Cod to St. Pierre Bank off Nova Scotia in association with host species; Western Atlantic: Nova Scotia, Canada to Argentina

nektonic

usually associated with sharks but also attaches itself to other large fishes, sea turtles and even ships; sometimes free-swimming