Deep-Sea taxon details
Molidae Bonaparte, 1835
- Genus Masturus Gill, 1884
- Genus Mola Koelreuter, 1766
- Genus Orthagoriscus Cuvier, 1816 accepted as Mola Koelreuter, 1766 (synonym)
- Genus Orthragoriscus Bloch & Schneider, 1801 accepted as Mola Koelreuter, 1766
marine, brackish, terrestrial
Not documented
Description Distribution: tropical and subtropical parts of the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. Jaws with 2 fused teeth. Each...
Description Distribution: tropical and subtropical parts of the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. Jaws with 2 fused teeth. Each side of head with 2 tiny nostrils. Dorsal and anal fins lacking spines, but provides the power for locomotion. Caudal peduncle absent. Caudal fin, when present, a pseudocaudal fin being formed by posteriorly migrated dorsal and anal fin rays. No lateral line. Swim bladder lacking. Vertebrae 16-18. Can attain over 2 m maximum length. Maximum weight 1000 kg. Fecundity can register to an estimated 300,000,000 eggs in Mola mola. [details]
Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. (2025). FishBase. Molidae Bonaparte, 1835. Accessed through: Glover, A.G.; Higgs, N.; Horton, T. (2025) World Register of Deep-Sea species (WoRDSS) at: https://marinespecies.org/Deepsea/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=125609 on 2025-05-16
Glover, A.G.; Higgs, N.; Horton, T. (2025). World Register of Deep-Sea species (WoRDSS). Molidae Bonaparte, 1835. Accessed at: https://marinespecies.org/Deepsea/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=125609 on 2025-05-16
Date
action
by
taxonomy source
Van Der Laan, R.; Eschmeyer, W. N.; Fricke, R. (2014). Family-group names of Recent fishes. <em>Zootaxa.</em> 3882(1): 1-230., available online at https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3882.1.1 [details] Available for editors 
context source (PeRMS) Chirichigno, N.; Cornejo, M. (2001). Catálogo comentado de los peces marinos del Perú. <em>2ª ed. Instituto del Mar de Perú. Publicación Especial. Callao.</em> 314 p. [details]
basis of record van der Land, J.; Costello, M.J.; Zavodnik, D.; Santos, R.S.; Porteiro, F.M.; Bailly, N.; Eschmeyer, W.N.; Froese, R. (2001). Pisces, <B><I>in</I></B>: Costello, M.J. <i>et al.</i> (Ed.) (2001). <i>European register of marine species: a check-list of the marine species in Europe and a bibliography of guides to their identification. Collection Patrimoines Naturels,</i> 50: pp. 357-374 (look up in IMIS) [details]
additional source Fricke, R., Eschmeyer, W. N. & Van der Laan, R. (eds). (2025). ECoF. Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: Genera, Species, References. <em>California Academy of Sciences. San Francisco.</em> Electronic version accessed dd mmm 2025., available online at http://researcharchive.calacademy.org/research/Ichthyology/catalog/fishcatmain.asp [details]
context source (PeRMS) Chirichigno, N.; Cornejo, M. (2001). Catálogo comentado de los peces marinos del Perú. <em>2ª ed. Instituto del Mar de Perú. Publicación Especial. Callao.</em> 314 p. [details]
basis of record van der Land, J.; Costello, M.J.; Zavodnik, D.; Santos, R.S.; Porteiro, F.M.; Bailly, N.; Eschmeyer, W.N.; Froese, R. (2001). Pisces, <B><I>in</I></B>: Costello, M.J. <i>et al.</i> (Ed.) (2001). <i>European register of marine species: a check-list of the marine species in Europe and a bibliography of guides to their identification. Collection Patrimoines Naturels,</i> 50: pp. 357-374 (look up in IMIS) [details]
additional source Fricke, R., Eschmeyer, W. N. & Van der Laan, R. (eds). (2025). ECoF. Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: Genera, Species, References. <em>California Academy of Sciences. San Francisco.</em> Electronic version accessed dd mmm 2025., available online at http://researcharchive.calacademy.org/research/Ichthyology/catalog/fishcatmain.asp [details]
Present Inaccurate Introduced: alien Containing type locality
Unreviewed
Description Distribution: tropical and subtropical parts of the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. Jaws with 2 fused teeth. Each side of head with 2 tiny nostrils. Dorsal and anal fins lacking spines, but provides the power for locomotion. Caudal peduncle absent. Caudal fin, when present, a pseudocaudal fin being formed by posteriorly migrated dorsal and anal fin rays. No lateral line. Swim bladder lacking. Vertebrae 16-18. Can attain over 2 m maximum length. Maximum weight 1000 kg. Fecundity can register to an estimated 300,000,000 eggs in Mola mola. [details]
| Language | Name | |
|---|---|---|
| English | ocean sunfishesmolas | [details] |
| German | Mondfische | [details] |
| Japanese | マンボウ科 | [details] |
| Norwegian Bokmål | månefiskfamilien | [details] |
| Norwegian Nynorsk | månefiskfamilien | [details] |
| Swedish | klumpfiskar | [details] |
