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Remora remora (Linnaeus, 1758)

Shark sucker
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Remora remora   AquaMaps   Data sources: GBIF OBIS
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Image of Remora remora (Shark sucker)
Remora remora
Picture by Béarez, P.

Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Teleostei (teleosts) > Carangiformes (Jacks) > Echeneidae (Remoras)
Etymology: Remora: Latin, remora = delay, hindrance (1567) (Ref. 45335); remora: remora meaning delay or hindrance; these fish were once thought to delay a ship's progress when they attached to the hull (Ref. 4389).
More on author: Linnaeus.

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Marine; reef-associated; depth range 0 - 200 m (Ref. 86942). Subtropical; 60°N - 36°S, 180°W - 180°E

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

Cosmopolitan in warm waters.

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 86.4 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 26340); common length : 40.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 26999); max. published weight: 1.1 kg (Ref. 40637)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

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).

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Usually associated with sharks but also attaches itself to other large fishes, sea turtles and even ships (Ref. 2850, 58302); found in gill chambers, fins and body surface (Ref. 5951). Sometimes free-swimming (Ref. 2850). Younger individual is more active as parasite pickers (Ref. 26938). Feeds on parasitic copepods (Ref. 35388).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Lachner, E.A. and A. Post, 1990. Echeneidae. p. 725-728. In J. C. Quéro, J. C. Hureau, C. Karrer, A. Post and L. Saldanha (eds.) Check-list of the fishes of the eastern tropical Atlantic (CLOFETA). JNICT, Lisbon; SEI, Paris; and UNESCO, Paris. Vol. 2. (Ref. 10791)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-2)

  Least Concern (LC) ; Date assessed: 23 August 2012

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Harmless





Human uses

Fisheries: commercial; gamefish: yes
FAO - Publication: search | FishSource | Sea Around Us

More information

Trophic ecology
Food items
Diet composition
Food consumption
Food rations
Predators
Ecology
Ecology
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Growth parameters
Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
Length-frequencies
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Abundance
Life cycle
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Maturity
Maturity/Gills rel.
Fecundity
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Eggs
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Distribution
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BRUVS - Videos
Anatomy
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Genetics
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References

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Summary page | Point data | Common names | Photos

Internet sources

AFORO (otoliths) | Aquatic Commons | BHL | Cloffa | BOLDSystems | Websites from users | Check FishWatcher | CISTI | Catalog of Fishes: genus, species | DiscoverLife | ECOTOX | FAO - Publication: search | Faunafri | Fishipedia | Fishtrace | GenBank: genome, nucleotide | GloBI | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | IGFA World Record | MitoFish | National databases | OsteoBase: skull, spine | Otolith Atlas of Taiwan Fishes | PubMed | Reef Life Survey | Socotra Atlas | Tree of Life | Wikipedia: Go, Search | World Records Freshwater Fishing | Zoological Record

Estimates based on models

Preferred temperature (Ref. 123201): 11.7 - 28.2, mean 24.8 °C (based on 2107 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804):  PD50 = 0.5352   [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00257 (0.00110 - 0.00600), b=3.17 (2.96 - 3.38), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref. 93245).
Trophic level (Ref. 69278):  3.5   ±0.4 se; based on diet studies.
Resilience (Ref. 120179):  Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Assuming Fec < 10,000).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153):  Moderate to high vulnerability (55 of 100).
Price category (Ref. 80766):   High.
Nutrients (Ref. 124155):  Calcium = 25.5 [12.2, 40.8] mg/100g; Iron = 0.629 [0.346, 1.051] mg/100g; Protein = 19.3 [18.3, 20.3] %; Omega3 = 0.129 [0.069, 0.242] g/100g; Selenium = 33.4 [15.8, 66.4] μg/100g; VitaminA = 30.4 [10.1, 96.3] μg/100g; Zinc = 0.657 [0.432, 0.989] mg/100g (wet weight);