Regalecus glesne

Cladus: Eukaryota
Supergroup: Opisthokonta
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Cladus: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Superclassis: Osteichthyes
Classis: Actinopterygii
Subclassis: Neopterygii
Infraclassis: Teleostei
Superordo: Lampridiomorpha
Ordo: Lampridiformes
Familia: Regalecidae
Genus: Regalecus
Species: Regalecus glesne

Name

Regalecus glesne Ascanius, 1772

References

* Regalecus glesne Report on ITIS

Vernacular names
English: King of herrings
Italiano: Re di aringhe
Nederlands: Haringkoning
日本語: リュウグウノツカイ
Polski: wstęgor królewski
Русский: Ремень-рыба
中文: 皇帶魚,勒氏皇帶魚

Giant Oarfish, found on the shore of the Pacific Ocean in the USA. The original Photograph can be seen on page 20 of the April 1997 issue of All Hands, a US Navy-owned publication

The king of herrings or giant oarfish, Regalecus glesne, an oarfish of the family Regalecidae, is the world's longest bony fish. Rarely sighted, it is found in all the world's oceans at depths of between 300 and 1000 meters. Most sightings have been in the north Atlantic, with most specimens found either dead or dying in shallow waters.[2]

The king of herrings is neither a true herring, nor a close relative. According to the Great Book of Animals, its name comes from being sighted near shoals of herring, which fishermen thought were being guided by this fish.[2] It is scaleless, ribbon-shaped and silvery with a long, red dorsal fin.[2]

Description

The king of herrings is the world's longest bony fish.[3] Its total length can reach 17 m, and it can weigh up to 300 kg. Its length (the record is 17 m (56 ft)) and bizarre appearance are presumed to be responsible for some sea serpent sightings.[4]
Sightings

In May, 2010, a dead 3 m specimen was found off the coast of Sweden. The last time one had been reported in Swedish waters was in 1879.[5]

On December 10, 2010, a live specimen of four meters was found on the south coast of Sinaloa state in Mexico. One of the fisherman who captured it said it might be the "Devil" and feared it might swallow them.[6]
References

1. ^ Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2006). "Recalegus glesne" in FishBase. April 2006 version.
2. ^ a b c (1997).The Great Book of Animals. Philadelphia, PA: Courage Books, Running Press Publishers. p.102. ISBN 0-7624-0137-0.
3. ^ "Rare 'King of Herrings' found off Swedish coast". Yahoo! News. 12 May 2010. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100512/ap_on_fe_st/eu_odd_sweden_giant_herring. Retrieved 2010-05-13. [dead link]
4. ^ Encyclopedia of Fishes, Second Edition, p 157, Paxton, et al.,(Eds), 1998, Academic Press
5. ^ 4:42 p.m. ET. "Fisherman's find: rare, 12-foot-long creature - Innovation- msnbc.com". MSNBC. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37114903/ns/technology_and_science-innovation/. Retrieved 2010-05-14.
6. ^ Capturan en Teacapán raro pez http://noroeste.com.mx/publicaciones.php?id=643722

Further reading

* Glover, C.J.M. in Gomon, M.F, J.C.M. Glover & R.H. Kuiter (Eds). 1994. The Fishes of Australia's South Coast. State Print, Adelaide. Pp. 992.
* Olney, J.E. Ii Paxton, J.R. & W.N. Eschmeyer (Eds). 1994. Encyclopedia of Fishes. Sydney: New South Wales University Press; San Diego: Academic Press [1995]. Pp. 240.
* Bourton, J. Giant bizarre deep sea fish filmed in Gulf of Mexico BBC News 8 February 2010.