Slender sunfish

The slender sunfish (Ranzania laevis) is a mola of the family Molidae, the only extant member of the genus Ranzania,[3] found globally in tropical and temperate seas. Its length is up to 1 m (3.3 ft). Several stranding and mass stranding events have occurred on beaches near Albany, Western Australia.[4][5]

Slender sunfish
CITES Appendix II (CITES)[2]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Tetraodontiformes
Family: Molidae
Genus: Ranzania
Nardo, 1840
Species:
R. laevis
Binomial name
Ranzania laevis
(Pennant, 1776)

The first South Australian specimen was found at Aldinga in 1944.[6] A cast was made from it, and a replica was made, painted and prepared for display at the South Australian museum that year.[7] Several other individuals have stranded in South Australia at Port Willunga, Netley[8] and West Beach with the latter successfully returned live to deeper water.[9]

In contrast to its much larger relatives in the family Molidae, who are very slow-moving and mostly feed upon jellyfish, salps, and small fish and crustaceans, the slender sunfish is known to mainly feed upon squid, particularly of the family Ommastrephidae, which are known for being very fast-moving, displaying evidence that the slender sunfish itself is a faster-moving and agile predator of squid.[10]

  • Close-up of the head of a slender sunfish
    Close-up of the head of a slender sunfish
  • Slender sunfish in Napili Bay, Maui, Hawaii
    Slender sunfish in Napili Bay, Maui, Hawaii

References
  1. Liu; J.; Zapfe, G.; Shao, K.-T., Leis, J.L., Matsuura, K., Hardy, G., Liu, M., Tyler, J. & Robertson, R. (2015). "Ranzania laevis (errata version published in 2016)". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2015: e.T193615A97668925. Retrieved 24 March 2022.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
  3. Matsuura, K. (2014): Taxonomy and systematics of tetraodontiform fishes: a review focusing primarily on progress in the period from 1980 to 2014. Ichthyological Research, 62 (1): 72-113.
  4. "A Marine Rarity. Shoal of Stranded Sunfish". The West Australian. 1928.
  5. "Albany Sunfish. Rare Fish Found Locally". Albany Advertiser. 1941.
  6. "Rare Sunfish Found At Aldinga Beach". Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1931 - 1954). 1944-06-20. p. 6. Retrieved 2019-06-25.
  7. "Sunfish Which Is Rare And Distinctly Unfishy". Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1931 - 1954). 1944-09-13. p. 4. Retrieved 2019-06-25.
  8. "Sunfish sightings in South Australia". Marine Life Society of South Australia Inc. 2014-08-09. Retrieved 2019-06-25.
  9. "Slender Mola (Ranzania laevis)". iNaturalist.org. 15 May 2019. Retrieved 2019-06-25.
  10. Nyegaard, M.; Loneragan, N.; Santos, M. B. (2017). "Squid predation by slender sunfish Ranzania laevis (Molidae)". Journal of Fish Biology. 90 (6): 2480–2487. doi:10.1111/jfb.13315. ISSN 1095-8649. PMID 28470845.

Abu El-Regal and El-Moselhy. 2013. The first record of slender sunfish, Ranzania laevis from the Red Sea. Journal of Fish Biology. Journal of Fish Biology 83(5):1425-9

   DOI: 10.1111/jfb.12226
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