The Ocean Sunfishes (Family Molidae)

Fraser-Brunner, A.

doi:10.2307/1437649

Cited by 29 publications

(57 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The ocean sunfish Mola mola, a large pelagic zooplanktivore (Fraser-Bruner 1951), frequently comprises a large percentage of the bycatch in drift gillnet fisheries. A survey of the Spanish drift gillnet fishery in the Mediterranean Sea indicated that ocean sunfish represented between 71 and 93% of the total catch between 1992 and 1994 (Silvani et al 1999).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…They inhabit subtropical to temperate pelagic waters worldwide (Fraser-Bruner 1951, Miller & Lea 1972, and are the largest known teleosts, with total lengths of up to 3 m and weights of almost 2000 kg (Gudger 1928). Surprisingly, ocean sunfish attain these massive proportions on a diet reported to consist primarily of gelatinous zooplankton (Linton 1901, Fraser-Bruner 1951, McCann 1961, MacGinitie & MacGinitie 1968, Hooper et al 1973, Sommer et al 1989. Morphologically, ocean sunfish possess many distinctive traits, such as a stiff truncated body, use of the dorsal and anal fins for primary propulsion, and a rudder-like caudal fin, or clavus (Fraser-Bruner 1951).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Surprisingly, ocean sunfish attain these massive proportions on a diet reported to consist primarily of gelatinous zooplankton (Linton 1901, Fraser-Bruner 1951, McCann 1961, MacGinitie & MacGinitie 1968, Hooper et al 1973, Sommer et al 1989. Morphologically, ocean sunfish possess many distinctive traits, such as a stiff truncated body, use of the dorsal and anal fins for primary propulsion, and a rudder-like caudal fin, or clavus (Fraser-Bruner 1951). These characteristics have led to much speculation regarding the locomotory abilities and behavior of ocean sunfish.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, Myers & Wales (1930) reported that ocean sunfish are active swimmers, whereas Gudger (1928) and Dawson (1965) describe them as sluggish, inefficient swimmers, passively carried by water currents. Dean (1913) suggested that ocean sunfish morphology was more characteristic of deeper water species, although they are most frequently observed during daylight hours 'basking' at the sea surface, behavior some authors have attributed to illness (Fraser-Bruner 1951, McCann 1961, Schwartz & Lindquist 1987 or solicitation of cleaner fish (Threlfall 1967, Love 1996. In addition, observations of the drift gillnet fishery indicate that ocean sunfish are caught at night in gillnets set at depths between 12 and 50 m (D. Cartamil pers.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Diel movement patterns of ocean sunfish Mola mola off southern California

Cartamil¹,

Lowe²

2004

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

101

115

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Ocean sunfish Mola mola are a seasonally common inhabitant of southern Californian waters, and comprise the largest bycatch component (29% of total catch) of the California drift gillnet fishery for swordfish. We used temperature and depth-sensing acoustic transmitters to quantify the fine-scale movement patterns of ocean sunfish near Santa Catalina Island, California. Eight ocean sunfish were tracked continuously over 24 to 72 h periods, during which oceanographic data were collected every 2 h. Geographical position and depth of tracked fish were analyzed in relation to oceanographic data and time of day. Ocean sunfish traveled a mean distance of 26.8 ± 5.2 (± SD) km d ) (SD = 0.58) was significantly higher than either nighttime period. Horizontal movements were highly directional, with angular concentration values (r) as high as 0.765 over the duration of entire tracks. Nocturnal vertical movements were confined to the surface mixed layer and thermocline, while diurnal vertical movements were often characterized by repeated dives below the thermocline. A significant relationship was found between maximum dive depth and the post-dive period spent in the mixed layer, suggesting that ocean sunfish may behaviorally thermoregulate between deeper daytime dives. The observed depth-distribution patterns of ocean sunfish indicate that lowering the depth of gillnets in the water column could significantly reduce bycatch of this species in the California drift gillnet fishery. KEY WORDS: Acoustic telemetry · Pelagic tracking · Drift gillnet fishery · Bycatch · ThermoregulationResale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisher

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Diel movement patterns of ocean sunfish Mola mola off southern California

Cartamil¹,

Lowe²

2004

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

101

115

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The ocean sunfishes of the family Molidae are a small group of bizarre, relatively enormous, marine tetraodontiforms with a pelagic lifestyle and a world-wide distribution (Fraser-Brunner, 1951;Nelson, 1994). Because of their unique appearance, ocean sunfishes have fascinated naturalists and scientists for centuries.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Britz

Johnson

2005

Journal of Morphology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We describe the ontogeny of the occipital skull and anterior vertebrae of the molids Ranzania laevis and Masturus lanceolatus and compare it with that of the ostraciid Lactophrys sp. The first vertebra fuses to the basioccipital in early ontogeny in the two molids and previous authors thus confused that vertebra with the back of the basioccipital, so that all previous counts of their vertebral numbers are incorrect by one vertebra. As evidenced by Lactophrys sp., ostraciids are the only other tetraodontiforms with similar occipito-vertebral fusion. In contrast to the molids, additional anterior vertebrae fuse with this complex in ostraciids. We conclude that the shared occipitovertebral fusion in molids and ostraciids and its otherwise extremely rare occurrence among teleosts provide support for a sister-group relationship of the two families. J. Morphol. 266:74 -79, 2005.

show abstract

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)

Johnson

Britz

2004

Journal of Morphology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

One of the most conspicuous characters of the ocean sunfishes, family Molidae, is the punctuation of the body by a deep, abbreviated, caudal fin-like structure extending vertically between the posterior ends of the dorsal and anal fins, termed the clavus by Fraser Brunner. Homology of the clavus has been a matter of debate since the first studies on molid anatomy in the early 1800s. Two hypotheses have been proposed: 1) It is a highly modified caudal fin; 2) It is formed by highly modified elements of the dorsal and anal fins. To resolve this homology issue, we studied the ontogeny of the molid vertebral column and median fins and compared it to that of a less morphologically derived gymnodont (see Part 1 of this study), a member of the family Tetraodontidae. We show that in molids the chorda never flexes during development, that the claval rays form from the posterior ends of the dorsal and anal fins toward the middle, thus closing the gap inward, and that elements of the molid clavus have an identical development and composition as the proximal-middle and distal radials of the regular dorsal and anal fins. We thus conclude that the molid clavus is unequivocally formed by modified elements of the dorsal and anal fin and that the caudal fin is lost in molids.

show abstract

The Ocean Sunfishes (Family Molidae)

Cited by 29 publications

References 0 publications

Diel movement patterns of ocean sunfish Mola mola off southern California

Diel movement patterns of ocean sunfish Mola mola off southern California

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

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)

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About