Slender suckerfish
Encyclopedia
The slender suckerfish or lousefish, Phtheirichthys lineatus, is a rare species of remora
, family Echeneidae, and the only member of the genus
Phtheirichthys. It is found around the world in tropical and subtropical seas.
The body of the slender suckerfish is elongate, with long dorsal
and anal fins. The dorsal fin rays number 29-33, the anal fin rays 29-34, and the pectoral fin rays 18-21. The adhesive disk atop the head is small, length 18-28% of the standard length, with 9-11 lamellae. The caudal fin is paddle-shaped. The head and body is pale, dark brown or blackish. Larger specimens have a distinctive dark brown stripe running along the side of the body, bordered by narrower white stripes above and below. The fins are blackish, with the outer portions of the longer dorsal and anal fin rays and the margins of the outer caudal fin rays light. It usually measures 34 cm long but has been reported up to 76 cm. The sucker disk is fully developed in 50 mm individuals.
With the smallest adhesive disk amongst the remoras, the slender suckerfish is not strongly host
-dependent and can be encountered free-swimming or attached to inanimate objects. The slender suckerfish feeds mostly on scraps of fish and plankton
, as opposed to more host-dependent remoras that feed on host parasites. Nothing is known of its reproduction.
Remora
The remora , sometimes called a suckerfish or sharksucker, is an elongated, brown fish in the order Perciformes and family Echeneidae...
, family Echeneidae, and the only member of 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...
Phtheirichthys. It is found around the world in tropical and subtropical seas.
The body of the slender suckerfish is elongate, with long dorsal
Dorsal fin
A dorsal fin is a fin located on the backs of various unrelated marine and freshwater vertebrates, including most fishes, marine mammals , and the ichthyosaurs...
and anal fins. The dorsal fin rays number 29-33, the anal fin rays 29-34, and the pectoral fin rays 18-21. The adhesive disk atop the head is small, length 18-28% of the standard length, with 9-11 lamellae. The caudal fin is paddle-shaped. The head and body is pale, dark brown or blackish. Larger specimens have a distinctive dark brown stripe running along the side of the body, bordered by narrower white stripes above and below. The fins are blackish, with the outer portions of the longer dorsal and anal fin rays and the margins of the outer caudal fin rays light. It usually measures 34 cm long but has been reported up to 76 cm. The sucker disk is fully developed in 50 mm individuals.
With the smallest adhesive disk amongst the remoras, the slender suckerfish is not strongly host
Host (biology)
In biology, a host is an organism that harbors a parasite, or a mutual or commensal symbiont, typically providing nourishment and shelter. In botany, a host plant is one that supplies food resources and substrate for certain insects or other fauna...
-dependent and can be encountered free-swimming or attached to inanimate objects. The slender suckerfish feeds mostly on scraps of fish and plankton
Plankton
Plankton are any drifting organisms that inhabit the pelagic zone of oceans, seas, or bodies of fresh water. That is, plankton are defined by their ecological niche rather than phylogenetic or taxonomic classification...
, as opposed to more host-dependent remoras that feed on host parasites. Nothing is known of its reproduction.