Spolia Atlantica. Bidrag til Kundskab om Klump- eller Maanefiskene (Molidae).

Abstract

Jenkins: Description of a new species of Ranzania (R. mahia) from the Ilawaiian Islands (California Academy of Sciences, Vol. V, p. 779-84, 1 pi.). Jenyns (Leonard): A manual of British verlebrate Animals (p. 490-91). Cambridge. 1835. Jon s ton: Ilisloriae naturalis de piscibns et celis libri quinque. 1657. 2' 12 Jourdaiii: iVliiténaux poui-servir ;i l'liistoire aiiaUniii(iue ihi poisson-lmie (Orl/nuiorincus mola). (Comples Rendiis des seances liebdomadaircs de l'académie des Sciences. Tome lAXIII, i>|). 1225-29). 1871. \J.JeT/i.\: Desci'iplion d'un poissoii nommé hine on nioh^\wd\é ii l'i'CsL (Uu/.ier, Journal de pliysiqnc, t. XVI, pp. 58-60, pi. II). 1780. Junmé: Notice sur le cabinel de Mr. L. F. Faret, nainralisle ;i Slykens-les-Os(ende (p. 34). Gand. 1854. Kay (J. del: Zoology of New York or tlie New York Fauna. Tarl III. Ueptiics and Anipliiliia.

Occipito‐vertebral fusion in ocean sunfishes (Teleostei: Tetraodontiformes: Molidae) and its phylogenetic implications

“…Because of the occipito-vertebral fusion, Mola actually has 9 abdominal vertebrae. We were surprised by the difference in number of caudal vertebrae reported by Tyler (1980) and that by Cleland (1862) and Steenstrup and Lü tken (1898). We checked Tyler's material and confirmed his caudal count.…”

“…We checked Tyler's material and confirmed his caudal count. Assuming that the counts of the latter two authors are correct, there are several possible explanations for this discrepancy: 1) Cleland's (1862), Steenstrup and Lü tken's (1898), and Kaschkaroff's (1914) "Mola" specimens were actually Masturus; 2) the number of caudal vertebrae is variable in a population; or 3) the Atlantic and Pacific populations of Mola mola differ in this character. To resolve this issue, we need additional information on vertebral numbers and their variation from many more specimens of Mola worldwide.…”

“…Because of their unique appearance, ocean sunfishes have fascinated naturalists and scientists for centuries. Although the earliest anatomical descriptions date from the 1800s (Meckel, 1828;Wellenbergh, 1840;Goodsir, 1841;Cleland, 1862;Steenstrup and Lü tken, 1898) and several monographs appeared in the 20th century (Gregory and Raven, 1934;Raven, 1939a,b;Winterbottom, 1974;Tyler, 1980), much of the unusual, highly derived anatomical structure of molids is still poorly understood. During our study of the development and homology of the molid clavus or pseudocaudal fin Johnson and Britz, 2004), we discovered a previously overlooked and highly unusual character of the vertebral column that characterizes the Molidae: ontogenetic fusion of the first vertebra with the occiput.…”

Leis' conundrum: Homology of the clavus of the ocean sunfishes. 2. Ontogeny of the median fins and axial skeleton of Ranzania laevis (Teleostei, Tetraodontiformes, Molidae)

“…Due to their highly unusual form they have been illustrated in the earliest published books dealing with fishes ( Fig. 1; Rondelet, 1554;Gesner, 1558; see historical account in Steenstrup and Lü tken, 1898).…”

Squid predation by slender sunfish Ranzania laevis (Molidae)

“…Only eight previous accounts of R. laevis stomach contents were found in an extensive literature search, comprising information from 36 fish of various sizes, obtained from both fishing and stranding events (Table ). The reported stomach contents comprised seaweed (Plancus, ), ‘worms of the testaceous’, small crabs (Donovan, ), crushed shells, decomposed matter (Francis in Steenstrup & Lütken, ), littoral seaweeds (Barnard, ), megalopa stage of shore‐crab (Barnard, ), small fishes and fish larvae, pteropod molluscs, various crustaceans including megalopa and zoea stages of crabs (Fitch, ), calanoid and cyclopoid copepods, ostracods, amphipods (Robison, ), unidentified digested material, seagrass, invertebrates, sand/rock and a feather (Smith et al ., ). Overall, diet information from non‐stranded R. laevis is extremely limited for fish with total lengths ( L T ) > 30 cm (Table ); only one account was found, whereby a 65 cm R. laevis was ‘taken on the sands, near the infirmary’ (Francis in Steenstrup & Lütken, ), seemingly away from its normal habitat in deeper waters.…”