Marlinsucker, Remora osteochir

Marlinsucker, Remora osteochir. Fish provided by a Sailfish caught from coastal waters off Point Palmilla, Baja California Sur, September 2007. Length: 15.0 cm (5.9 inches).

Marlinsucker, Remora osteochir. Fish provided by a Striped Marlin caught from coastal waters off Loreto, Baja California Sur, June 2018. Length: 15.5 cm (6.1 inches). Catch and photograph courtesy of Chris Wheaton, Fullerton, California.

The Marlinsucker, Remora osteochir, is a member of the Remora or Echenidae Family, and is known in Mexico as rémora marliner or simply pega pega. Globally, there are five species in the genus Remora, and all five are found in Mexican waters of both the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans.

The Marlinsuckers has an elongated body that are a uniform dark brown color. Their head has a convex lower and flat upper profile with small black eyes and an extended disc that is 38% to 40% of standard length and reaches well past the pectoral fins with 15 to 19 lamellae. They have 11 to 17 gill rakers. Their lower jaw is projecting and their mouth has numerous small pointed teeth. Their anal and dorsal fin bases are of similar size and shape and are significantly longer than the head but less than 2 times the head length; the caudal fin is forked in juveniles transitioning to straight in adults; their pectoral fins are mid-sized and rounded; and, their pelvic fins are pointed and joined to the belly.

The Marlinsucker is an oceanic pelagic fish that travel attached to their hosts (marlin and sailfish) and are found at depths up to 200 m (650 feet). They reach a maximum length of 40 cm (16 inches). Very little is known about their biology as they require fast moving water for survival, making study in captivity impossible. Thus specific information related to their lifestyle and behavioral patterns including specific details on age, growth, longevity, movement patterns, diet, habitat use, and reproduction.

The Marlinsucker is a resident of all Mexican waters of the Atlantic, including the Gulf of Mexico and the East Coast of the Yucatán in the Caribbean,  and the Pacific Oceans with the exception that they are absent from the northern 80% of the Sea of Cortez. They are more common in southern Mexican waters of the Pacific Ocean.

The Marlinsucker is an easy fish to identify due to its lamellae count, the length of its pectoral fins, and the host on which it resides.

From a conservation perspective the Marlinsucker is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. They are too rare and too unappealing to be of interest to most. They are most definitely a “catch-and-release”.