Molidae. Hutchins, B. Mola alexandrini is found in oceanic waters worldwide, feeding on salps and siphonophores. Their rounded clavus (pseudo-tail section) is supported by 14-24 (average 17) fin rays and 8-15 (average 12) ossicles, an enlarged bulbous head, chin bump and rectangular scales. The fish measured 3.1 m from the tip of the dorsal fin to the tip of the anal fin, and 2.5 m from the tip of the snout to the end of the clavus. & R.H. Kuiter (Eds). It has a small mouth and doesn't bite. Ichthyol Res, 56, 232–244. It can grow to more than 3 meters (9.8 feet) and weigh a whopping 2,000 kilograms (4,400 pounds). In Australia it is found in temperate marine waters from northern New South Wales, around the south of the country, including Tasmania, to south-western Western Australia. Last, P.R., E.O.G. Matsuura, K., 2002. We report a bump‐head sunfish Mola alexandrini (120–130 cm estimated total length) photographed from a manned submersible at a depth of … It also has a large bump on the head and chin, hence the name Bump-head sunfish. In Carpenter K.E. Credit: James Alcock. The sample that finally put the team at peace was no easy feat to analyse. Hutchins, B. Pp. Their bodies are flat and round, with large wings they swing back and forth. Nyegaard, M., Sawai, E., Gemmell, N., Gillum, J., Loneragan, N.R., Yamanoue, Y., Stewart, A.L. 1983. The difference in size between the giant sunfish and their teeny-tiny babies could not be more dramatic. They are also bizarrely shaped; adults resemble enormous, flattened pancakes topped by a massive dorsal fin like a shark’s. The giant Bump-head Sunfish, or Mola alexandrini, is a whopper. Although adult sunfish look generally similar, they are distinguishable using the seven characteristics: number of clavus fin rays (Yoshita et al 2009), number of clavus ossicles (Yoshita et al 2009), shape of clavus margin (Yoshita et al 2009), presence of head bump (Yoshita et al 2009), proportion of body length compared to body height (Yoshita et al 2009), shape of body scales (Fraser-Brunner 1951), and the presence of a chin bump (Sawai et al. Because of that, its diet is consisting a small crustaceans and also midge larvae. The bump-head sunfish is one of three Mola species that occupy Australian waters and is matched in weight only by its congener, the ocean sunfish, also known as the Mola mola. Hiding in broad daylight: molecular and morphological data reveal a new ocean sunfish species (Tetraodontiformes: Molidae) that has eluded recognition. Also known as the southern ocean sunfish or southern sunfish, Mola alexandrini are commonly found in the epipelagic zone of the ocean which is the part of the ocean where enough light penetrates for photosynthesis to occur (Matsuura, 2002) although recent studies also suggest that the sunfish are more common in deep waters than previously thought (Phillips et al. Large bird, black head, strong bill with prominent bump, dark brown grey above, white underneath. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size. Availability Not available to clients in Australia, New Zealand. The fish was slapping the water with its dorsal fin and made no attempt to swim away. New South Wales Fisheries Officer Glen Staples with a 1.7m long Bump-head Sunfish, Mola alexandrini. Doi: 10.11369/jji1950.52.35, Sawai, E. et al., 2017. Ichthyol. The Australian Museum respects and acknowledges the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation as the First Peoples and Traditional Custodians of the land and waterways on which the Museum stands. New South Wales Fisheries Officer Glen Staples with a 1.7m long Bump-head Sunfish, Mola alexandrini. The Bump-head Sunfish is one of only three Mola species found in Australian waters, and this breakthrough provides vital information to help scientists understand the … On 13th October 1998, staff of the Australian Museum were called to examine an Bump-head Sunfish, Mola alexandrini, that was found stuck on the bulbous bow of the cement carrier, MV Goliath, as it tied up to the wharf in Sydney (left image). They are the world’s heaviest bony fish, produce more eggs than any other vertebrate and exhibit the greatest increase in size from hatching as a fry to mature adulthood - up to 60 million times their body weight at birth. 12. The southern sunfish (Mola alexandrini), also known as the Ramsay's sunfish, southern ocean sunfish, short sunfish or bump-head sunfish in many parts of the world, is a fish belonging to the family Molidae.It is closely related to its congener, much wider known Mola mola, and is found in the Southern Hemisphere. The huge fish, which weighed approximately 1400 kg was removed from the bow of the ship by the Sydney Waterways Authority. At only 2 mm in length, this larval sunfish is one of three species of Mola found in Australian waters. (2,000 kilograms). Only Colnect automatically matches collectibles you want with collectables collectors offer for sale or swap. Mola alexandrini can be identified from its rounded clavus edge without an indent, 14-24 clavus fin rays and its body scales are rectangular shaped (the clavus is wavy or lobed in Mola mola and rounded with an indent in Mola tecta). Talbot. The fish was slapping the water with its dorsal fin and made no attempt to swim away. A juvenile Short Sunfish, Mola alexandrini, swimming near the surface at Manly, Sydney, November 2016. (2,000 kilograms). This species can be easily identified by its large size, thick lips, two black lines behind its eyes, and the hump on the foreheads of … 13. Nyegaard M, Loneragan N, Hall S, Andrew J, Sawai E, Nyegaard M. 2018. Sea Fishes of Southern Australia. (AMS I.42801). Redescription of the bumphead sunfish Mola alexandrini (Ranzania 1839), senior synonym of Mola ramsayi (Giglioli 1883) with designation of a neotype for Mola mola (Linnaeus 1758) Tetraodontiformes: Molidae. Biggest Ocean Sunfish Weighing 5,000 Pounds Correctly Identified After Researchers' Mistake By Melissa Matthews On 12/8/17 at 11:11 AM EST A Mola mola sunfish seen at … Source: Atlas of Living Australia. It can reach up to 3.3 m (11 ft) in length and 2,300 kg in mass, making it one of the two heaviest bony fish on Earth, only matched by its congener, the ocean sunfish. 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