Family LAMPRIDIDAE

Lamprididae

© Copyright Ros Poole.

Museums

Regional Maps

External Links

Introduction

The family Lamprididae comprises a single genus, Lampris, and six species (Underkoffler, Luers, Hyde & Craig 2018). Previously only two species were recognised (Parin & Kukuyev 1983). Two species are known from Australian waters. Even earlier workers, such as Palmer & Oelschläger (1976) considered the family to be monotypic. Olney (1999) provided information on the family.

Moonfishes or opahs are pelagic fishes living around the world in oceanic waters between 79ºN and 67ºS. Recorded food items include crustaceans, molluscs and young fishes. These brightly coloured, deep-bodied, oceanic fishes are rarely seen inshore and are uncommon in collections. Little is known of their biology. Maximum size is 1.8 m.

General References

Olney, J.E. 1999. Families Veliferidae, Lamprididae, Stylephoridae, Lophotidae, Radiicephalidae, Trachipteridae, Regalecidae. pp. 1966-1975 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, V.H. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 3 pp. 1397-2068. [1968]

Olney, J.E., Johnson, G.D. & Baldwin, C.C. 1993. Phylogeny of lampridiform fishes. Bulletin of Marine Science 52: 137-169

Olney, J.E. & Collette, B.B. 2016. Order Lampriformes: Family Lampridae. pp. 1929-1930 in Carpenter, K.E. & De Angelis, N. (eds.). The Living Marine Resources of the Eastern Central Atlantic. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fishery Purposes. Bony Fishes Part 1 (Elopiformes to Scorpaeniformes). Rome : FAO Vol. 3 pp. 1511-2350. [1930]

Palmer, G. & Oelschläger, H.A. 1976. Use of the name Lampris guttatus (Brünnich, 1788) in preference to Lampris regius (Bonnaterre, 1788) for the opah. Copeia 1976(2): 366-367

Parin, N.V. & Kukuyev, Ye.I. 1983. Re-establishment of the validity of Lampris immaculata Gilchrist and the geographical distribution of the Lampridae. Voprosy Ikhtiologii 23(1): 1-12 figs 1-5 [in Russian; English translation J. Ichthyol. 23(1): 1–12]

Underkoffler, K.E., Luers, M.A., Hyde, J.R. & Craig, M.T. 2018. A taxonomic review of Lampris guttatus (Brünnich 1788) (Lampridiformes; Lampridae) with descriptions of three new species. Zootaxa 4413(3): 551–565

Common Name References

Gomon, M.F., Glover, C.J.M. & Kuiter, R.H. (eds) 1994. The Fishes of Australia's South Coast. Adelaide : State Printer 992 pp. 810 figs. [427] (Moonfishes)

Olney, J.E. 1999. Families Veliferidae, Lamprididae, Stylephoridae, Lophotidae, Radiicephalidae, Trachipteridae, Regalecidae. pp. 1966-1975 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, V.H. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 3 pp. 1397-2068. [1968] (FAO) (Opahs)

History of changes