Bimini - help fish ID

[archman]

yeah, what is the difference?

Let's see, generally the common name "sharksucker" denotes members of the genus Echineis. These tend to be long and skinny, often with long stripes on their bodies.

Members of the genus Remora usually get tagged with the common name "remora". Remoras have deeper bodies than sharksuckers, and usually less distinctive markings. Basically they're shorter, fatter, and drabber.

The "whale sucker" and "marlin sucker" both are members of Remora also, but keep a bit of the "sucker" name with them. But being Remora, they retain the Remora body shape, not the sharksucker shape of Echeneis.

There are a couple of other genera also, Remorina being one. These like mantas, and are white. Love to see one of those babies.

Originally all members of this family were lumped into the genus Echineis, but now they're split into five genera. Eight species total. A lot of critters previously thought to be separate species have been combined.

 

[Tom Smedley]

I'm confused too. The thing attached to the Parrotfish is definitely an Echeneis naucrates which is in the family Echeneidae which are Remoras....

The problem with seeing a 2 to 3 foot Remora is wondering what host might be nearby that it would be interested in attaching to.

Unless, of course, it's a Manta and that would be nice.

TT

 

[Scuba_Jenny]

So, are these remoras?
http://www.splashdowndivers.com/photo_gallery/people.htm
Select 2004> July. Look about half way down. There is a photo of two of them. Yeah, I was there and pointed them out to the photographer. The larger one was way over 2 feet. (I am in the photo above, if you care)

 

[archman]

So, are these remoras?
http://www.splashdowndivers.com/photo_gallery/people.htm
Select 2004> July. Look about half way down. There is a photo of two of them. Yeah, I was there and pointed them out to the photographer. The larger one was way over 2 feet. (I am in the photo above, if you care)

Yup, sharksuckers. Probably E. naucrates. I have trouble differentiating between the two species when they get that big. I have a couple of photos in the gallery that are similar.
http://www.scubaboard.com/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/8197/sort/1/cat/500/page/1

http://www.scubaboard.com/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/11723/sort/1/cat/500/page/1

Remora and Remorina lwill both ook a lot different from these in terms of body shape. There's a photo in the latest Humann fish book that has Remora in it; you can compare directly against the two Echeneis species.

I wouldn't be much concerned about the most "correct" common names to use with members of this Family. For all intensive purposes, remoras are sharksuckers, and sharksuckers are remoras. Unless you're really into fish or in a class about them, the specifics aren't so important.

 

[Vie]

Here’s a photo of a remora (on a manta at Hin Daeng, Thailand) that I took towards the end of last year.

The colouring is not clear in the photo but it is similar to the Remora sp. on page 402 of Allen/Steene/Humann/DeLoach’s Reef Fish Identification: Tropical Pacific.

 

[archman]

Here’s a photo of a remora (on a manta at Hin Daeng, Thailand) that I took towards the end of last year.

The colouring is not clear in the photo but it is similar to the Remora sp. on page 402 of Allen/Steene/Humann/DeLoach’s Reef Fish Identification: Tropical Pacific.

Probably Remora remora. The other members of this genus are predominantly confined to either smaller cetaceans or billfishes. But you can clearly see the differences in body shape over that of sharksuckers. Remorina kinda looks like this too, 'cept it's white to pale grey.