Scientific Name
Remora remora

Common Name
Shark sucker

Biology
Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 22-26; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 22 - 24. Dark brownish grey in color (Ref. 4389). During the course of development, fin is transformed into a suction disc (Ref. 35388). Deeper-bodied than Echeneis naucrates (Ref. 37816).

Classification

Classified By

Linnaeus, 1758

Class

Ray-finned fishes (Actinopterygii)

Order

Perch-like fish (Perciformes)

Family

Remoras (Echeneidae)

Distribution

Region

Cosmopolitan in warm waters. Western Pacific

Distribution

Cosmopolitan in warm waters. Western Pacific: Japan (Ref. 559) to New Zealand and Norfolk Island (Ref. 8879). Eastern Pacific: San Francisco in California, USA to Chile (Ref. 2850). Western Atlantic: Nova Scotia, Canada to Argentina (Ref. 7251). Eastern Atlantic: North Sea to the Canary Islands, including the western Mediterranean. Recorded from Iceland (Ref. 13583) and between Sweden and Denmark (Ref. 28571).

Range

60°N - 36°S, 180°W - 180°E

Environment

Climate

Subtropical

Water Temperature From

Unknown °C

Water Temperature To

Unknown °C

Depth From - meters

0 m

Depth To - meters

100 m

Zone

reef-associated

Environment

Marine; reef-associated; depth range 0 - 100 m (Ref. 50610)

Trophic Level

3.08 s.e. 0.40 Based on diet studies.

Occurs in Marine / Salt water

True

Occurs in Brackish water

False

Occurs in Fresh Water

False

Occurs on Reefs

True

Is kept in Aquariums

False

Physical Size and Genetics

Maximum Length

86.4 cm

Common Length

40.0 cm

Phylogenetic Diversity Index

PD50 = 0.5352 many relatives (e.g. carps) 0.5 - 2.0 few relatives (e.g. lungfishes)

Human Uses and Population

Human Uses

Fisheries: commercial

Vulnerability

Moderate to high vulnerability (48 of 100)

Resilience

Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Assuming Fec

Threat To Humans

Harmless

IUCN Red List Status

Not Evaluated