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Oarfish

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Not to be confused withPaddlefish.

Oarfish
Giant oarfish
Scientific classificationEdit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Lampriformes
Family: Regalecidae
Genera

Oarfishare large and extremely longpelagiclampriformfish belonging to the smallfamilyRegalecidae.[1]Found in areas spanning fromtemperateocean zones to tropical ones, yet rarely seen, the oarfish family contains threespeciesin twogenera.[2]One of these, thegiant oarfish(Regalecus glesne), is the longestbony fishalive, growing up to about 8 m (26 ft) in length.[3]

Thecommon nameoarfishis thought to allude either to their highly compressed and elongated bodies, or to the now discredited belief that the fish "row" themselves through the water with their pelvic fins.[4]The family name Regalecidae is derived from theLatinregalis,meaning "royal". Although the larger species are consideredgame fishand are fished commercially to a minor extent, oarfish are rarely caught alive; their flesh is not well regarded for eating due to itsgelatinousconsistency.[5]

Their rarity and large size, and their habit of lingering at the surface when sick or dying, make oarfish a probable source ofsea serpenttales. Their beachings after storms have gained them a reputation as harbingers of doom, a folk belief reinforced by the numerous beachings before the disastrous2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.

Description

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United States Navy SEALsholding a 23-foot (7.0 m)giant oarfish,found washed up on the shore nearSan Diego,California,in September 1996

The dorsal fin originates from above the (relatively large) eyes and runs the entire length of the fish. Of the approximately 400 dorsalfin rays,the first 10 to 13 are elongated to varying degrees, forming a trailing crest embellished with reddish spots and flaps of skin at the ray tips. The pelvic fins are similarly elongated and adorned, reduced to one to five rays each. Thepectoral finsare greatly reduced and situated low on the body. Theanal finis completely absent and thecaudal finmay be reduced or absent as well, with the body tapering to a fine point. All fins lack truespines.At least one account, from researchers in New Zealand, described the oarfish as giving off "electric shocks" when touched.[4]

As in other members of its order, the mouth can be protruded.[6]The body has noscales.[7]In the streamer fish (Agrostichthys parkeri), the skin is clad with hardtubercles;[8]inRegalecus russelii,there are tubercules along the midline of the belly.[7]

All species lackswim bladders,[7]the number ofgill rakersis variable, butR. russelliihas more thanR. glesne.Oarfish aresilver in coloration;the body is marked with small dark spots.[7]

The giant oarfish is by far the largest member of the family, at a length of 8 m (26 ft)—with unconfirmed reports of specimens 11 m (36 ft) and 17 m (56 ft)[3][9][10]in length and 270 kg (600 lb) in weight.[11]The streamer fish reaches 3 m (9.8 ft) in length,[12]while the largest recorded specimen ofRegalecus russeliiwas 5.4 m (18 ft).[13]

Oarfish frequently practiseautotomy,self-amputating the tail, presumably as ananti-predator adaptation.All capturedR. russelliiover 1.5 m long have autotomized tails; it is thought that they may autotomize their tails repeatedly. The break can occur near the tip of the tail so that only a part of the caudal fin is lost, or it may involve a few caudal vertebrae; in extreme cases the entire tail is lost. The wound heals but the tail does not regenerate.[6]

Hyperossifiedbones have been documented in several oarfish washed up on the coast of California. Thesebony raysrun along the entire dorsal length of the body. Their function is both to provide structural support to the spine during undulations (tail movement used for locomotion), and to prevent stress fractures that could occur from strong movement. Unlike many deep-sea fish, oarfish have noswim bladdersfor maintaining depth in the water column. It is likely that this forces more frequent tail undulations as the main mode of depth regulation in oarfish.[14]

Evolution

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Phylogeny

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Through the analysis of the mitochondrial genome ofRegalecus glesne,thephylogeneticplacement of the giant oarfish was further verified. Oarfish areLampriformes,so placed due to their morphology. Analysis of the mitochondrial genome of anR. glesnespecimen clusters the species withTrachipterus trachypterusandZu cristatus,two other Lampriformes.[15]

Taxonomy

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Oarfish were first described in 1772.[16]Three extant species in two extant genera are described:

Environment and distribution

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The oarfish inhabits theepipelagictomesopelagicocean layers, ranging from 250 meters (660 ft) to 1,000 meters (3,300 ft) and is rarely seen on the surface. A few have been found still barely alive, but usually if one floats to the surface, it dies due to depressurisation. At the depths the oarfish live, there are few or no currents. As a result, they build little muscle mass and they cannot survive in shallower turbulent water.[17]

The members of the family have a worldwide range, with tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate distributions.[18]The oarfish typically reside in themesopelagicarea of the sea.[19]However, human encounters with live oarfish are rare, and distribution information is collated from records of oarfish caught or washed ashore.[4]

Ecology and life history

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Behaviour

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Rare encounters with divers and accidental catches have supplied what little is known of oarfishethology(behavior) andecology.In 2001, an oarfish was filmed alive in the wild. The 1.5-metre (4.9-foot) fish was spotted by a group of U.S. Navy personnel during the inspection of a buoy in theBahamas.The oarfish was observed to propel itself by anamiiformmode of swimming; that is, rhythmically undulating the dorsal fin while keeping the body itself straight. Perhaps indicating a feeding posture, oarfish have been observed swimming in a vertical orientation. In this posture, the downstreaming light would silhouette the oarfishes' prey, making them easier to spot.[20]

An oarfish measuring 3.3 m (11 ft) and 63.5 kg (140 lb) was caught in February 2003 using afishing rodbaitedwithsquidatSkinningrove,United Kingdom.[21]

In July 2008, scientists for the first time captured footage of an oarfish swimming in its natural habitat in themesopelagic zonein the Gulf of Mexico. The fish was estimated to be between five and ten metres (16 and 33 ft) in length.[22]Five observations of apparently healthy oarfishRegalecus glesneby remotely operated vehicles were reported from the northernGulf of Mexicobetween 2008 and 2011 at depths within theepipelagicand mesopelagic zones.[23]These observations include the deepest verified record ofR. glesne(463–492 m or 1,519–1,614 ft).[24]In the 2011 sighting, an oarfish has been observed to switch from swimming with a vertical posture to swimming laterally, using lateral undulations of its entire body.[25]Oarfish were found to have late or slow flight responses towards approaching remotely operated vehicles, supporting the hypothesis that they have few natural predators.[25]

From December 2009 to March 2010, unusual numbers of the slender oarfishRegalecus russelii[13]appeared in the waters and on the beaches of Japan.[26]

In 2016,Animal Planetaired an episode of the television seriesRiver Monstersnamed "Deep Sea Demon" in whichJeremy Wadewas filmed with a live oarfish. The oarfish at this location seemed to be using a buoy anchor chain as a guide to ascend to the surface. On his second diving attempt, he filmed two live oarfish as they came relatively close to the surface. Wade was able to touch one of the oarfish with his hand.[27]

In January 2019 two oarfish were found alive in the nets of fishermen on the Japanese island of Okinawa.[28]

JuvenileRegalecus glesne

Feeding ecology

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Oarfish feed primarily onzooplankton,selectively straining tinyeuphausiids,shrimp,and othercrustaceansfrom the water. Small fish,jellyfish,and squid are also taken.[29]It has been observed that oarfish eat by suctioning prey such as plankton blooms while in the water.[30]

Reproduction and life history

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TheoceanodromousRegalecus glesneis recorded asspawningoff Mexico from July to December; all species are presumed to not guard their eggs, and release brightly coloured, buoyanteggs,up to six millimetres (0.24 in) across, which are incorporated into the zooplankton.[4]Based on their reproductive morphology, oarfish are thought to batch spawn. Within each breeding season that may last one or two months, individuals spawn once or multiple times in discrete spawning events before their gonads enter a long, regressive stage of reproductive development.[31]

The eggs hatch after about three weeks into highly activelarvaethat feed on other zooplankton. The larvae have little resemblance to the adults, with long dorsal and pelvic fins and extensible mouths. Larvae and juveniles have been observed drifting just below the surface. In contrast, adult oarfish are rarely seen at the surface when not sick or injured. It is probable that the fishes go deeper as they mature.[4]

From January to February 2019, researchers tested and recorded the first successful instance ofartificial inseminationand hatching ofRegalecus russelliiusing gonads from two washed-up specimens. Compared to adults, the body structure of newly hatched oarfish larvae look more compressed. The larvae often swam using mainly their pectoral fins, facing downward, with their mouths constantly open. The larvae were invertebrates but had bones in their head area, as well as fins. They died of starvation four days after they hatched.[32]

FemaleR. russeliihave bifurcated ovaries with a cavity through which the eggs pass before they are laid.[33]Thetestesof male oarfish in thecoelomiccavity near the digestive tract.[33]There are two separate, disconnected testes, the left one being longer than the one on the right.[33]A single female can produce hundreds of thousands, to millions of eggs. The eggs are laid in the water column, and they float freely in the water.[34]

Predators and parasites

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A 2015 study suggested that theshortfin mako sharkand thesperm whalecould both be predators of the oarfish, based on patterns ofparasitetransmission and analysis of oarfishviscera.[35]

In folklore

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Oarfish that washed ashore on aBermudabeach on 3 March 1860: the fish was 16 ft (4.9 m) long and described at the time as asea serpent.[36]

The slender oarfish, (LongCung の sử い "Ryūgū-No-Tsukai" ), known inJapanesefolkloreas the 'Messenger from theSea God's Palace', is said to portendearthquakes.[26]The oarfish has been nicknamed the "doomsday fish" because, historically, appearances of the fish were linked with subsequent natural disasters, namely earthquakes or tsunamis.[37][38]After the2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunamiwhich killed over 20,000 people, many in Japan pointed to the 20 oarfish washed up on the country's beaches in 2009 and 2010 in line with this reputation as a harbinger of doom.[28]

See also

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Bibliography

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  • Fishes: An Introduction to ichthyology.Peter B. Moyle and Joseph J. Cech, Jr; p. 338. Printed in 2004. Prentice-Hall, Inc.; Upper Saddle River, New Jersey.ISBN0-13-100847-1

References

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  1. ^Froese, Rainer;Pauly, Daniel (eds.)."Family Regalecidae".FishBase.March 2007 version.
  2. ^"Regalecus glesne".Discover Fishes.Retrieved2024-06-23.
  3. ^abMcClain, Craig R.; Balk, Megan A.; Benfield, Mark C.; et al. (2015-01-13)."Sizing ocean giants: patterns of intraspecific size variation in marine megafauna".PeerJ.3(e715): e715.doi:10.7717/peerj.715.PMC4304853.PMID25649000.
  4. ^abcdeOlney, John E. (1998). "Oarfish". In Paxton, J.R.; Eschmeyer, W.N. (eds.).Encyclopedia of Fishes.San Diego: Academic Press. pp.157–159.ISBN978-0-12-547665-2.
  5. ^"Rare 'Sea Monster' Washes Ashore In New Zealand".IFLScience.com.28 April 2015.Retrieved22 November2021.
  6. ^ab"Regalecus russelii, Oarfifsh".www.fishbase.us.Retrieved2020-10-30.
  7. ^abcdLee, Yu-Jin; Kim, Byung-Yeob; Kim, Jin-Koo (2023)."Taxonomic review of the rare oarfish Regalecus russellii (Regalecidae: Lampriformes) from Korea using morphological and molecular methods".Journal of Asia-Pacific Biodiversity.16(4):465–471.doi:10.1016/j.japb.2023.03.003.
  8. ^Olney, John; Johnson, David; Baldwin, Carole (January 1993)."Phylogeny of Lampridiform Fishes".Bulletin of Marine Science.52:137–169.
  9. ^"Giant deep sea fish first filmed".News.bbc.co.uk.8 February 2010.Retrieved22 November2021.
  10. ^Quenqua, Douglas (2 November 2013)."Oarfish Offer Chance to Study an Elusive Animal Long Thought a Monster".The New York Times.Retrieved22 November2021.
  11. ^Burton, Maurice;Burton, Robert (2002).International Wildlife Encyclopedia(3rd ed.). New York: Marshall Cavendish. pp.1767–1768.ISBN978-0-7614-7279-7.
  12. ^"Agrostichthys parkeri(Benham, 1904) Streamer fish ".FishBase Consortium.Retrieved4 December2024.
  13. ^ab"Regalecus russelii(Cuvier, 1816) species summary ".FishBase Consortium.Retrieved2013-11-03.
  14. ^Paig-Tran, E. W. Misty; Barrios, Andrew S.; Ferry, Lara A. (October 2016)."Presence of repeating hyperostotic bones in dorsal pterygiophores of the oarfish, Regalecus russellii".Journal of Anatomy.229(4):560–567.doi:10.1111/joa.12503.PMC5013060.PMID27296623.
  15. ^Yu, Yue; Peng, Xin; Yang, Can-Min; Chen, Xiao; Chen, Shaobo; Qin, Song (2019-07-03)."Complete mitochondrial genome and the phylogenetic position of the giant oarfish (Regalecus glesne)".Mitochondrial DNA Part B.4(2):2125–2126.doi:10.1080/23802359.2019.1623124.PMC7687632.PMID33365437.
  16. ^"National Geographic".2013-10-22. Archived fromthe originalon October 22, 2013.Retrieved30 April2018.
  17. ^Powell, Daniel."First-ever oarfish caught on rod and reel".San Diego Reader News.Retrieved2015-06-30.
  18. ^Roberts, Tyson R. (2012).Systematics, biology, and distribution of the species of the oceanic oarfish genus Regalecus (Teleostei, Lampridiformes, Regalecidae).Paris: French National Museum of Natural History. pp. 202,1–266.ISBN978-1247669526.
  19. ^Oka, Shin-ichiro; Nakamura, Masaru; Nozu, Ryo; Miyamoto, Kei (2020-04-08)."First observation of larval oarfish, Regalecus russelii, from fertilized eggs through hatching, following artificial insemination in captivity".Zoological Letters.6(1): 4.doi:10.1186/s40851-020-00156-6.PMC7140580.PMID32292594.
  20. ^"Sustainability species Identification; Oarfish (Regalecus glesne Ascanius) ".NOAA Fisheries service.Retrieved28 September2012.
  21. ^Jenkins, Russell (21 February 2003)."Woman angler lands legendary sea monster".The Times.Archived fromthe originalon May 7, 2009.Retrieved25 February2010.The novice angler fishing off the rocks for mackerel thought that she must have hooked a big one. – Unfortunately the oarfish has been cut up into steaks for the pot.
  22. ^Bourton, Jody (2010-02-08)."Giant bizarre deep sea fish filmed in Gulf of Mexico".BBC.Retrieved2010-02-09.
  23. ^"SERPENT Project".
  24. ^Benfield, M.C. (5 June 2013). "Five in situ observations of live oarfish Regalecus glesne (Regalecidae) by remotely operated vehicles in the oceanic waters of the northern Gulf of Mexico".Journal of Fish Biology.83(1):28–38.Bibcode:2013JFBio..83...28B.doi:10.1111/jfb.12144.PMID23808690.
  25. ^abBenfield, M. C.; Cook, S.; Sharuga, S.; Valentine, M. M. (July 2013)."Five in situ observations of live oarfish Regalecus glesne (Regalecidae) by remotely operated vehicles in the oceanic waters of the northern Gulf of Mexico: in situ observations of regalecus glesne".Journal of Fish Biology.83(1):28–38.Bibcode:2013JFBio..83...28B.doi:10.1111/jfb.12144.PMID23808690.
  26. ^abYamamoto, Daiki (4 March 2010)."Sea serpents' arrival puzzling, or portentous?".Kyodo News.Retrieved6 March2010.Toyama — A rarely seen deep-sea fish regarded as something of a mystery has been giving marine experts food for thought recently after showing up in large numbers along the Sea of Japan coast.
  27. ^"Barcroft.tv".12.barcroft.tv.Retrieved22 November2021.
  28. ^abStambaugh, Alex; Ogura, Junko."Pair of rare oarfish discovered alive in Japan".CNN.Retrieved2019-02-24.
  29. ^Roberts, Tyson R. (November 2017)."Anatomy and physiology of the digestive system of the oarfish Regalecus russellii (Lampridiformes: Regalecidae)".Ichthyological Research.64(4):475–477.Bibcode:2017IchtR..64..475R.doi:10.1007/s10228-017-0574-7.S2CID207064546.
  30. ^Ferry, L. A.; Paig-Tran, E. M.; Gibb, A. C. (2015)."Suction, Ram, and Biting: Deviations and Limitations to the Capture of Aquatic Prey".Integrative and Comparative Biology.55(1):97–109.doi:10.1093/icb/icv028.PMID25980566.
  31. ^Forsgren, Kristy L.; Jamal, Homam; Barrios, Andrew; Paig-Tran, E. W. Misty (2017)."Reproductive Morphology of Oarfish (Regalecus russellii)".The Anatomical Record.300(9):1695–1704.doi:10.1002/ar.23605.PMID28390152.
  32. ^Oka, Shin-ichiro; Nakamura, Masaru; Nozu, Ryo; Miyamoto, Kei (2020)."First observation of larval oarfish, Regalecus russelii, from fertilized eggs through hatching, following artificial insemination in captivity".Zoological Letters.6(1): 4.doi:10.1186/s40851-020-00156-6.PMC7140580.PMID32292594.
  33. ^abcForsgren, Kristy L.; Jamal, Homam; Barrios, Andrew; Paig-Tran, E.W. Misty (2017-04-22)."Reproductive Morphology of Oarfish (Regalecus russellii)".The Anatomical Record.300(9):1695–1704.doi:10.1002/ar.23605.PMID28390152.S2CID205413717.
  34. ^Forsgren, Kristy L.; Jamal, Homam; Barrios, Andrew; Paig-Tran, E.W. Misty (2017-04-22)."Reproductive Morphology of Oarfish (Regalecus russellii)".The Anatomical Record.300(9):1695–1704.doi:10.1002/ar.23605.PMID28390152.S2CID205413717.
  35. ^Kuris, Armand M.; Jaramillo, Alejandra G.; McLaughlin, John P.; et al. (February 2015)."Monsters of the Sea Serpent: Parasites of an Oarfish,Regalecus russellii".Journal of Parasitology.101(1):41–44.doi:10.1645/14-581.1.PMID25220829.S2CID32384405.
  36. ^Ellis, Richard (1994).Monsters of the Sea.London: Robert Hale.
  37. ^DiMella, Ashley (17 August 2024)."'Doomsday fish' found dead in California days before earthquake struck Los Angeles ".Fox News.
  38. ^Anguiano, Dani (15 November 2024)."Second oarfish, mythical harbinger of doom, found washed up in California".The Guardian.
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