This website uses cookies to enhance your browsing experience and ensure the functionality of our site. For more detailed information about the types of cookies we use and how we protect your privacy, please visit our Privacy Information page.

×

Cookie Settings

This website uses different types of cookies to enhance your experience. Please select your preferences below:

Remora brachyptera
Remora brachyptera (Lowe, 1839)
Spearfish remora
photo by Devarapalli, P.

Family:  Echeneidae (Remoras)
Max. size:  50 cm TL (male/unsexed)
Environment:  pelagic-oceanic; marine, oceanodromous
Distribution:  Circumglobal in tropical and warm temperate seas.
Diagnosis:  Dorsal spines (total): 0-0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 27-34; Anal spines: 0-0; Anal soft rays: 25-34. Body cylindrical and elongate; possessing an oblong cephalic disk with 14 to 17 transverse laminae; cranium depressed (supporting cephalic disk); dorsal fin with 27 to 44 rays; first gill arch with fewer than 21 gill rakers; body entirely white to pale blue (Ref. 55763).
Biology:  Found on the body and inside gill chamber of billfishes and swordfishes, rarely on any other fishes (Ref. 2850); also in the gill cavities and mouths of sharks (Ref. 5951).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC); Date assessed: 04 February 2009 Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  harmless


Source and more info: www.fishbase.org. For personal, classroom, and other internal use only. Not for publication.