Slender Sunfish, Ranzania laevis (Pennant, 1776)
Oblong Sunfish, Ranzania, Short Sunfish, Slender Mola, Trunkfish
Click to enlarge image
© Keiichi Matsuura
Fast Facts
-
Classification
- Genus
- Ranzania
- Species
- laevis
- Family
- Molidae
- Order
- Tetraodontiformes
- Class
- Actinopterygii
- Subphylum
- Vertebrata
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Kingdom
- Animalia
-
- Size Range
- It grows to 90 cm total length.
Introduction
As its name suggests, the Slender Sunfish is the most elongate species of sunfish. Surprisingly, it is quite a swift swimmer.
Identification
The Slender Sunfish is a distinctively shaped fish. Like the other species of sunfishes, the species lacks a true tail, and instead has a clavus.
The fish is silver coloured, often darker blue above, with blue, grey, brownish or green stripes and dots above and dark stripes from below the eye to the ventral surface.
Habitat
The Slender Sunfish is an oceanic species.
Distribution
It occurs worldwide in most tropical and temperate marine waters. In Australia it is known from northen Queensland, south to Tasmania and west to the south-western coast of Western Australia.
The map below shows the Australian distribution of the species based on public sightings and specimens in Australian Museums. Click on the map for detailed information. Source: Atlas of Living Australia.
Other behaviours and adaptations
It is a relatively fast swimming, schooling species.
References
- Gomon, M.F., Bray, D. & R.H. Kuiter (Eds). 2008. The Fishes of Australia's Southern Coast. Reed New Holland. Pp. 928.
