General Information

COMMON NAMES: Sharksucker, Slender Sharksucker, White-tailed Remora, Live Sharksucker; German Hai-Schiffshalter; French Rémora Commun TRADITIONAL NAMES: Taritari Uri (RR AK), Taritari (MG), Taritari Uriuri (AT MK MT TW), Talitali Uliuli (TS), Talitaliuli (PK); Other Polynesian - Tiatiauri (TAH) GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE circumtropical; s. to NZ COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; S.Group - present; N.Group - common; Marine, near-shore KEY FEATURES: To 100cm SL. Elongate, head depressed with a long laminated sucker on the top - a modified first Dorsal fin. Disc has 21-28 septae and is 2.5 times longer than wide and is much longer than the head. Pectorals are sharply pointed. Dorsal Fin 32-41 rays. Dark brown, paler below with mid-lateral blackish band. SIMILAR SPECIES: Remora remora to 40cm (vs. to 100cm); uniformly dark brown (vs. brown above, pale below); Pectorals short and rounded (vs. long and sharp); laminae 17-19 (vs. 21-28); Dorsal with 22-27 rays (vs. 32-41).

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

Southern Group: Present    Makatea:
RR	MG	AT	MK	MT	AK	PL	TK	MN
+	P

Northern Group: Present
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW
			P		P

Echeneis naucrates Linnaeus, 1758
SYNONYMS: Leptecheneis naucrates

TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; CHORDATA; GNATHOSTOMATA (Jawed Vertebrates); PISCES; OSTEICHTHYES; Perciformes; Percoidei; Percoidea; ECHENEIDAE

GENERAL NOTE: Use their dorsal sucker to attach to large fishes, especially sharks, rays, large bony fishes and sea turtles. They feed on scraps of food left by the host. The can detach by swimming forward. This species is often free-living.

Vouchers:
Rarotonga: specimen on surface at night 200m off Avatiu reef, 55cm S.L. 6/98 Joe Nia Heather, ID GMc. Pukapuka: fieldspecimen+photo, 3/2004, K.Salisbury with ID Echeneis naucrates, ID confirmed from photo by G.McCormack on sucker details. Suwarrow: specimen A.G.Hobbs (54cm T.L.) ID Stead 1907.

References:
text p.127 Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
plate 44h Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
p.155 Randall et al. (1990) Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef....
p.244 Burgess et al. (1988) Atlas of Marine Aquarium Fishes (TFH)
plate 40-11 Lieske & Myers (1996) Coral Reef Fishes
plate 40-07 Allen (1997) Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia....
Species No. 1016 Munro (1967) Fishes of New Guinea

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM02, zupM06a, zD02

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