Oarfish

The belt fish Regalecus glesne in Natural History Museum Vienna

Belt fish ( Regalecidae ) are large, snake-like pelagic bony fish. Although they are found in all tropical and temperate oceans, they are rarely sighted. The belt of the fish family includes three known species. One way Regalecus glesne, holds the record for the longest living fish bone: It can reach a length of up to seventeen meters.

Features

Belt fish have a laterally compressed, ribbon-shaped body without scales. Their dorsal fin begins just above the eyes and reaches almost to the tail tip. The first rays of the dorsal fin are greatly elongated and stained bright red. Overall, the dorsal fin 260-412 fin rays are supported. Even the small eye is red. The pelvic fins consist of only a single, highly elongated fin ray pair. You sit forward below the pectoral fins. Anal fin and caudal fin are missing, also a swim-bladder. The fish have 143-170 vertebrae. Your mouth is toothless. Probably eat the fish on plankton. Agrostichthys parkeri has eight to ten gill rakers in the throat, Regalecus glesne 40 to 58 With these they filter their food from the water.

System

The belt fish are divided into two genera:

• Genus Agrostichthys Agrostichthys parkeri ( Benham, 1904)

• Regalecus glesne Ascanius, 1772
• Regalecus russelii ( Cuvier, 1816)

Trivia

Because of their size and their appearance is thought that belt fish are the source of many legends of sea serpents. Since the fish are very fragile, one finds mostly stranded only mutilated copies.

Sightings and recordings of live fish belts are very rare. In 2008, a team led by Professor Mark Benfield from Louisiana State University ( Baton Rouge) for the first time to film an individual with the help of a remote-controlled submersible in the Gulf of Mexico.