Family: REGALECIDAE, Oarfish, Oarfishes

FAMILY REGALECIDAE

OARFISHES

Body extremely elongate, strongly compressed, a giant ribbon; mouth with protrusible top jaw, maxilla broad; teeth on both jaws usually absent, minute and widely spaced if present; dorsal fin very long (~400 rays in fish with a complete tail), from top of head almost to tail tip, front rays form 2 crests up to 1m or more long; anal fin absent; pelvics with one, highly elongate ray, reaching to vent; tail fin usually absent in adults, with 3-4 rays in juveniles, the middle 3 robust and elongate; scales absent, except for tubular lateral line scales; body with 6-7 longitudinal rows of tubercles of various sizes.

Two genera, and three species; one species of one genus in the West Atlantic, the other of the same genus in the east Pacific.

PREPARED BY D ROSS ROBERTSON, AFTER FAO