Island Mambo- Ranzania laevis

Tags: fish | Mambo | sunfish

In the distance arises the song “Mambo, Mambo…” as the migratory fish in the epipelagic zone, such as tuna, bonito, mackerel, coryphaena hippurus, sailfish, and sunfish, ride over the waves in the warm Kuroshio waters to the eastern coast of Taiwan. Of all these fish, the sunfish is the biggest bony fish with a length of more than 3 meters and weighs up to 2,300 kilograms. In addition, the sunfish can lay over 300,000,000 eggs, which has been the largest number of eggs hatched among all fish. The English name “sunfish” is bestowed upon it based on the fact that the sunfish usually frequents the surface waters. With a degenerated tail fin, it relies only on its dorsal and anal fin to move; by its elegant swimming style, it has won the nickname “Mambo” for itself. However, sunfish is also called “mola” owing to its slow speed and tumbling swimming style. As to its flesh, it contains abundant collagen protein and calcium, while its color and taste are similar to those of a scallop, so it is called “scallop fish” as well.
 
Though the adult sunfish has a strong body, it is of a meek temperament and preys mainly on plankton. With a shy look in the eyes and a playful expression shown by its pouting lips, the sunfish has become one of the most popular sea creatures. There are three types of sunfish in the world--Masturus lanceolatus and Mola mola are commonly seen, whereas the sightings of Ranzania laevis are rare. In order to innovate on the fisheries along the coasts, Fisheries Research Institute of Council of Agriculture has been actively planning and executing the establishment of artificial floating fish reefs off the southwest and southeast coast of Taiwan in recent years. The experiment has successfully attracted a large number of fish, which proves of great benefit to the regional fishery economy. By using two techniques (trolling and long line fishing) around the reef area, the fishermen are able to catch fish such as tuna, bonito, coryphaena hippurus, and other migratory fish in the surface waters. This new fishing operation, however, stumbled upon a new type of fish, the adorable look of which instantly touched the fishermen's heart. To avoid any damage to the fish body, the fishermen stowed them away carefully in cold storage. After their return to the Xin Gang port in Tai Dong, they donated their valuable find to the Eastern Marine Biology of the Fisheries Specimen Research Institute. As researchers examined the specimens and checked them against the classified fish illustrations and documents, they made a surprising discovery: even though this beautiful fish is recorded in the Taiwan Fish Classified Documents, its specimen has never been found during the sorting and filing of fish for each specimen collection in the past ten years, that is, a rare fish specimen has turned up—Ranzania laevis.
 
Island Mambo—Ranzania laevis (specimen number: FRIP 21575), 57 centimeters in length, is a juvenile fish with a wide and laterally flat body. It is long oval in shape, which distinguishes itself from the common mola in round shape; the body, including the dorsal and anal fins, can reach a height of 48 centimeters. There is a slight bulge between its small eyes; the mouth is small, and the snout is round and obtuse. The small gill aperture is located in front of the base of the pectoral fin. There is no lateral line on either side of the body. The dorsal fin and anal fin are of the same shape and located opposite each other, forming a sickle-like shape; the dorsal and anal fin rays extend backward and join together at the end of the body, forming a truncate pseudo-caudal fin called “clavus.” The end of the body is crown-shaped with a lace pattern. It has no ventral fin; the pectoral fin is longer and sharp, the base of which grows obliquely; the tail fin disappears. The back and the sides of the body are brownish-blue, and the belly is of a silver-gray color; the head has approximately six white curve lines bordered by brown rims, which forms a stark contrast of colors; the front lateral body part has eight or nine slanted stripes with dark spots; the back also has numerous white-spotted stripes of different sizes, which simulate the wave-like fluctuations. Decades later, Ranzania laevis showed up again off Taiwan's east coast. Because of the fishermen's kind offer of the specimen, the Institute is able to re-examine its features and characteristics. The report on Ranzania laevis is written here to express our appreciation to our contributors.
 
Island Mambo—Collections related to Ranzania laevis
 

Masturus lanceolatus

  • Topic and key word: Molidae
  • Description: Masturus lanceolatus is egg-shaped, with a wide and laterally flat body; it has no tail. The head is laterally flat and in a high position. On the upper sides of the body, it has small eyes with a slight bulge between them; it has a round and obtuse snout, with a small terminal mouth. On both the upper and lower jaw are beak-shaped tooth plates with no central seams. The small gill aperture is located in front of the base of the pectoral fin. The body and fins are rough, covered with spines or granules. There is no lateral line on either side of the body. The dorsal fin is huge and sickle-shaped; the dorsal and anal fin are of the same shape located opposite each other, and the rays of both fins extend backward and join together at the end of the body, forming a sharp and protruding “pseudo-caudal fin,” also called “clavus.” The clavus is particularly long on the juvenile fish. It has no ventral fin; the pectoral fin is small, short, and round in shape. The base of the pectoral fin grows horizontally, not vertically; the tail fin disappears. The back is brownish-gray, and the belly is of a silver-gray color; the sides of the body has dark spots. Each fin is brownish-gray. Habitat: Masturus lanceolatus is an epipelagic species. It moves slowly, and either lies on its side upon the water surface and moves along with the tides, or swims on the surface bearing its dorsal fin above the water. Its ecological characteristics are not well defined. GeographicalRange: This type of fish is widely found in tropical and warm temperate waters around the world. It is also available in the sea off Taiwan's east coast. Fishery Exploration: The main fishing method is set net. This type of fish can be caught all year round and has no peak season. It is a rare species.
 



Mola mola

  • Topic and key word: Molidae
  • Description: Mola mola is egg-shaped, with a wide and laterally flat body; it has no tail. The head is laterally flat and in a high position. On the upper sides of the body, it has small eyes with a slight bulge between them; it has a round and obtuse snout, with a small terminal mouth. On both the upper and lower jaw are beak-shaped tooth plates with no central seams. The small gill aperture is located in front of the base of the pectoral fin. The body and fins are rough, covered with spines or granules. There is no lateral line on either side of the body. The dorsal fin is huge and sickle-shaped; the dorsal and anal fin are of the same shape located opposite each other, and the rays of both fins extend backward and join together at the end of the body, forming a round “pseudo-caudal fin,” also called “clavus.” It has no ventral fin; the pectoral fin is small, short, and round in shape. The base of the pectoral fin grows horizontally, not vertically; the tail fin disappears. The back is brownish-gray, and the belly is of a silver-gray color; the sides of the body has tiny spots. Each fin is brownish-gray. Habitat: Mola mola is an epipelagic species. It swims alone or in pairs, or sometimes in small groups. It moves slowly, and either lies on its side upon the water surface and moves along with the tides, or swims on the surface bearing its dorsal fin above the water or dives deep down to the depth of around hundreds of meters. It preys mainly on other fish, mollusks, jellyfish, crustaceans, plankton, and fragile starfish. Inside the fish body, the adult female can hold 300,000,000 tiny eggs, which has been the largest number of eggs hatched among all fish. Geographical Range: This type of fish is widely found in tropical and warm temperate waters around the world. It is also available in the sea off the east, south, and the northeast coast of Taiwan. Fishery Exploration: The main fishing methods are spear and set net. This type of fish can be caught all year round and has no obvious peak season. Though the fishery production is not large, its good meat and high-priced intestines make Mola mola one of the best fishing targets. While the intestines are suitable to be stir-fried, the meat is best when stewed, boiled, or fried. Its production in Taiwan's east coast is larger; however, since tetraodontidae and porcupine fish are occasionally included in the food chain for Mola mola, eating it may lead to food poisoning.

Ranzania laevis

  • Topic and key word: Molidae
  • Description: Ranzania laevis is long oval in shape, with a wide and laterally flat body; it has no tail. The head is laterally flat and in a high position. On the upper sides of the body, it has small eyes with a slight bulge between them; it has a round and obtuse snout, with a small terminal mouth. On both the upper and lower jaw are beak-shaped tooth plates with no central seams. The small gill aperture is located in front of the base of the pectoral fin. The body and fins are rough, covered with spines or granules. There is no lateral line on either side of the body. The dorsal fin is huge and sickle-shaped; the dorsal and anal fin are of the same shape located opposite each other, and the rays of both fins extend backward and join together at the end of the body, forming a truncate “pseudo-caudal fin,” also called “clavus.” It has no ventral fin; the pectoral fin is long and sharp. The base of the pectoral fin grows obliquely; the tail fin disappears. The back is brownish-gray, and the belly is of a silver-gray color; the head has approximately six dark curve lines; the front lateral body part has about three or four dark-spotted slanted stripes, and its back also has dark-spotted stripes of different sizes; the back lateral body part is gray-black in color, covered with numerous white stripes of different sizes. Each fin is brownish-gray. Habitat: Ranzania laevis is an epipelagic species, which inhabits near the outer marine waters. It usually swims alone or in groups. It moves slowly, and either lies on its side upon the water surface and moves along with the tides, or swims on the surface bearing its dorsal fin above the water. It preys mainly on planktonic crustaceans. Geographical Range: This type of fish is widely found in tropical and warm temperate waters around the world. It is also available in the sea off Taiwan's east coast. Fishery Exploration: The main fishing method is set net. This type of fish can be caught all year round and has no peak season. It is a rare species.
     

Masturus lanceolatus

  • Topic and key word: Molidae
  • Description: Adult. Specimen: Complete fish.
  • Data identify: ASIZP0059908.