Remora

Remora brachyptera

The remora ( Echeneidae ) are a family of horse mackerel relatives ( Carangiformes ). These are slender fish with a suction plate that has formed from the first dorsal fin, at bigger fish such as sharks or marine mammals attach themselves to take can be so; occasionally they are also trying to attach itself to divers. In addition, ship owners have the opportunity to participate in the meals of the host animal, enjoy the protection of the larger animal and release it probably parasites.

Remora have been known since ancient times. You have the habit attach itself also on ship hulls, which her ​​name was probably written. Aristotle and Pliny reported of them.

Features

Ship owners have an elongated body covered by small scales and are 30 centimeters to 1.10 meters long. My head is flattened and bears on the top of the suction element is formed from the first, hartstrahligen part of the dorsal fin. The suction element consists of 10 to 28 movable blades which are surrounded by a fleshy edge. It is already trained on juvenile fish of 27 mm length. The lower jaw is longer than the upper jaw. Dorsal and anal fins are opposite each other symmetrically and are supported from 18 to 45 fin rays. You have no hard jets. A swim bladder is absent. The number of Branchiostegalstrahlen is eight to eleven, the number of vertebrae in 26 to 41

Outer systematics

The remora among the Trevally relatives ( Carangiformes ). Their sister group is a clade consisting of the Cobia ( Rachycentron canadum ) and dolphinfish ( Coryphaena ). The probable family relations are the following cladogram again:

Trevally ( Carangidae )

Hahn perch ( Nematistiidae )

Dolphinfish ( Coryphaenidae )

Cobias ( Rachycentridae )

Remora ( Echeneidae )

Species

There are eight species in three genera:

• Echeneis Striped remora ( Echeneis naucrates ) Linnaeus, 1758.
• Echeneis neucratoides Zuiew, 1786.

• Lausfisch ( Phtheirichthys lineatus ) ( Menzies, 1791).

• White remora ( Remorina albescens ) ( Temminck & Schlegel, 1850)
• Remora australis ( Bennett, 1840).
• Remora osteochir ( Cuvier, 1829).
• Remora ( Remora remora ) (Linnaeus, 1758).

The extinct species Echeneis glaronensis is known from the lower Oligocene of Glarus in Switzerland.