Species: Remora remora, Common remora
Remora remora (Linnaeus, 1758)
Common remora
Elongate, moderately robust; distinctive flat head with sucking disc of 16-22 plates, reaches to about end of pectoral fin, its tiny spines blunt; jaws broad, lower jaw projecting, top jaw not protractile; simple teeth on jaws and center of roof of mouth; operculum without spines; gill rakers 28-37, 26-28 lower rakers; dorsal rays 21-27; anal rays 20-24; pectoral rays 25-32; pelvics long, pointed, under pectoral base, close-set, I, 5, broadly attached to belly; tail fin slightly concave to straight; scales small, smooth, imbedded.
Uniformly dark greyish brown.
Size: grows to 86 cm.
Habitat: commonly attached to sharks, sometimes in gill chamber, but also on large fishes, rays, and turtles.
Depth: 0-200 m?
Circumtropical; throughout the tropical eastern Pacific except for the upper Gulf of California.
High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
-
- Marine Only
- Marine
- Inshore/Offshore
-
- In & Offshore
- Offshore
- Inshore
- Water Column Position
-
- Mid Water
- Near Surface
- Water column only
- Habitat
-
- Water column
- Large fishes (billfishes, rays, sharks, etc), turtles & whales
- FishBase Habitat
-
- Pelagic
- Feeding Group
-
- Ectoparasite cleaner
- Carnivore
- Planktivore
- Data
- Diet
-
- Zooplankton
- No Data
- Bony fishes
- Ectoparasites
- Pelagic crustacea
- Egg Type
-
- Pelagic larva
- Pelagic
- No data
- Global Endemism
-
- "Transpacific" (East + Central &/or West Pacific)
- Circumtropical ( Indian + Pacific + Atlantic Oceans)
- TEP non-endemic
- East Pacific + Atlantic (East +/or West)
- East Pacific + all Atlantic (East+West)
- All species
- Transisthmian (East Pacific + Atlantic of Central America)
- Regional Endemism
-
- Island (s)
- Continent
- All species
- Continent + Island (s)
- Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) non-endemic
- Eastern Pacific non-endemic
- Residency
-
- Resident
- Climate Zone
-
- Northern Tropical (Mexican Province to Nicaragua + Revillagigedos)
- Northern Subtropical (Cortez Province + Sinaloan Gap)
- South Temperate (Peruvian Province )
- Equatorial (Costa Rica to Ecuador + Galapagos, Clipperton, Cocos, Malpelo)
- North Temperate (Californian Province &/or Northern Gulf of California)
- IUCN Red List
-
- Not evaluated / Listed
- CITES
-
- Not listed
- Length Max
-
- 86
- Depth Range Min
-
- 0
- Depth Range Max
-
- 200
