Species: Ranzania laevis, Slender mola, Slender sunfish
Ranzania laevis (Pennant, 1776)
Slender mola, Slender sunfish
Body an elongate oval (depth 25-48% of SL), strongly compressed; mouth small, funnel like, a vertical slit when closed, opens at the front, is a beak (without a central suture) composed of teeth fused to the jaws; gill openings small, on side just before pectorals; gill rakers not covered with skin; pectorals long, pointed; no pelvics; dorsal fin 17-19 rays; anal fin 18-19 rays; pectoral fin 13 rays; no tail base; dorsal and anal fins long and high, symmetrical, used for locomotion, at rear of body, their rear rays joined to tail fin immediately behind them that is reduced to a vertically elongate, short, blunt rudder, with oblique profile, no rear pointed extension; skin smooth, covered with small, hard, hexagonal plates.
Dark grey to dark blue above, silvery on sides and belly; head and lower belly with thin undulating black-edged white bars; white spots and vertical streaks on body between dorsal and anal fins.
Size: 200 cm.
Habitat: oceanic.
Depth: 0-200 m.
Circumtropical; possibly throughout our region except most of the Gulf of California.
High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
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- Marine
- Marine Only
- Inshore/Offshore
-
- Offshore Only
- Offshore
- Water Column Position
-
- Water column only
- Near Surface
- Surface
- Mid Water
- Habitat
-
- Water column
- FishBase Habitat
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- Pelagic
- Feeding Group
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- No Data
- Planktivore
- Diet
-
- Data
- Pelagic fish larvae
- Zooplankton
- Egg Type
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- No data
- Pelagic larva
- Pelagic
- Global Endemism
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- "Transpacific" (East + Central &/or West Pacific)
- Transisthmian (East Pacific + Atlantic of Central America)
- TEP non-endemic
- All species
- Circumtropical ( Indian + Pacific + Atlantic Oceans)
- East Pacific + all Atlantic (East+West)
- East Pacific + Atlantic (East +/or West)
- Regional Endemism
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- All species
- Continent + Island (s)
- Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) non-endemic
- Eastern Pacific non-endemic
- Continent
- Island (s)
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Equatorial (Costa Rica to Ecuador + Galapagos, Clipperton, Cocos, Malpelo)
- Northern Tropical (Mexican Province to Nicaragua + Revillagigedos)
- Northern Subtropical (Cortez Province + Sinaloan Gap)
- North Temperate (Californian Province &/or Northern Gulf of California)
- South Temperate (Peruvian Province )
- IUCN Red List
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- Not evaluated / Listed
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 200
- Depth Range Min
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- 0
- Depth Range Max
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- 200
