Man-of-war fish
Encyclopedia
The man-of-war fish, Nomeus gronovii, is a driftfish
, the only species in the genus
Nomeus.
Notable for living within the deadly tentacles of the Portuguese man o' war
, the man-of-war fish is generally found in open sea or close to the siphonophore Portuguese man o' war, after which it is named. It is found in all tropical and subtropical oceans of the world.
The fish is striped with blackish-blue blemishes covering its body, and the caudal fin is extremely forked. Its length is up to 39 cm.
The fish has a very high number of vertebrae (41), which may add to its agility and primarily uses its pectoral fins for swimming- a feature of fish who specialize in maneuvering tight spaces. It also has a complex skin design and at least one antigen
to the man-of-war's toxin. Although the fish seems to be ten times more resistant to the toxin than other fish, it can be stung by the dactylozooides (large tentacles), which it actively avoids. The smaller gonozooids do not seem to sting the fish, and the fish is reported to frequently 'nibble' on these tentacles.
Driftfish
Driftfishes are perciform fishes in the family Nomeidae. They are found in tropical and subtropical waters throughout the world.The largest species, such as the Cape farthead, Cubiceps capensis, reach one metre in length....
, the only species in the genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Nomeus.
Notable for living within the deadly tentacles of the Portuguese man o' war
Portuguese Man o' War
The Portuguese Man o' War , also known as the Portuguese man-of-war, man-of-war, or bluebottle, is a jelly-like marine invertebrate of the family Physaliidae...
, the man-of-war fish is generally found in open sea or close to the siphonophore Portuguese man o' war, after which it is named. It is found in all tropical and subtropical oceans of the world.
The fish is striped with blackish-blue blemishes covering its body, and the caudal fin is extremely forked. Its length is up to 39 cm.
Toxin Avoidance
Rather than using mucus to prevent nematocysts from firing, as is seen in some of the clown fish sheltering among sea anemones, it appears the fish uses highly agile swimming to physically avoid tentacles.The fish has a very high number of vertebrae (41), which may add to its agility and primarily uses its pectoral fins for swimming- a feature of fish who specialize in maneuvering tight spaces. It also has a complex skin design and at least one antigen
Antigen
An antigen is a foreign molecule that, when introduced into the body, triggers the production of an antibody by the immune system. The immune system will then kill or neutralize the antigen that is recognized as a foreign and potentially harmful invader. These invaders can be molecules such as...
to the man-of-war's toxin. Although the fish seems to be ten times more resistant to the toxin than other fish, it can be stung by the dactylozooides (large tentacles), which it actively avoids. The smaller gonozooids do not seem to sting the fish, and the fish is reported to frequently 'nibble' on these tentacles.