General Information

COMMON NAMES: Slender Sunfish, Headfish, Slender Mola, Truncated Sunfish, Trunkfish; French Ranzania GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE Circumglobal [S.Pacific records NZ & Cooks] COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; S.Group? PLUS: Single specimen CI Museum, no data (Sims); Marine, pelagic SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Food-R KEY FEATURES: To 75cm TL. A slender deep-bodied fish; tapering to the mouth, but abruptly truncated behind the blade-like Dorsal and Anal fins. Pectoral Fins present; Pelvic Fins absent. Skin smooth; colour silvery-grey and pale bars with dark edges and/or dark spots. Mouth funnel-like, cannot close.

Cook Islands Distribution

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

Northern Group:
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW
-			-

Ranzania laevis (Pennant, 1776)
SYNONYMS: Ostracion laevis [O]

TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; CHORDATA; GNATHOSTOMATA (Jawed Vertebrates); PISCES; OSTEICHTHYES; Tetraodontiformes; Tetraodontoidei; Tetraodontoidea; MOLIDAE

GENERAL NOTE: Swims by a sculling motion of its dorsal and anal fins. It lives lives near the suface of the ocean feeding on plankton. Flesh like chicken meat in texture and flavour, eaten without any ill effects (pers.comm. Tuamotu Matamaki, 7/2001).

Vouchers:
Cooks: Photo R.Powell, ID J.E.Randall (Sims88). Rarotonga: specimen Nooapii Isamaela, stranded Avarua stream mouth, Photo CINews 11/7/94 ID GMc.; specimen 50cm TL, Manuela Puna, Tupapa, in small passage, 18/7/2000, ID GMc; specimen, 55cm TL, 7/7/2001, caught by Rima XXX at 50 fathoms west of Avatiu Harbour, ID GMc.

References:
p.656 Burgess et al. (1988) Atlas of Marine Aquarium Fishes (TFH)

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

Web Resources

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