King of herrings
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| Regalecus glesne Ascanius, 1772 |
The king of herrings, Regalecus glesne, an oarfish of the family Regalecidae, is found in all the world's oceans, at depths of between 20 and 1,000 m. Its length is up to 550 cm, and it can weigh up to 272 kg.
The rarely seen king of herrings is the world's longest bony fish. Its head and body is silver with blue streaks, with blackish streaks and spots on the body. The dorsal fins are crimson with 10 - 12 spiny rays and about 400 soft rays. The pelvic fin is represented by a prolonged, ribbon-like ray.
It feeds on euphausiid crustaceans, small fishes and squid. Spawning occurs between July and December and larvae are encountered near the surface.
[edit] References
- "Regalecus glesne". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. March 2006 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2006.
- Tony Ayling & Geoffrey Cox, Collins Guide to the Sea Fishes of New Zealand, (William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1982) ISBN 0-00-216987-8
