ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN 



Captured off Long Island. N. Y.. 

 i feet, weight 165 pounds 



>CEAN SUNFISH 



line 191H. by Messrs. Ehrlein 

 Brought alive to the New V 



California. It occurs off the New Jersey and 

 Long Island shores every summer, and speci- 

 mens, usually too large to be handled, are re- 

 ported yearly to the Aquarium by fishermen. 



The name sunfish is derived from the habit 

 the fish has of basking at th,e surface in calm 

 weather, with the high dorsal fin projecting 

 above water. The scientific name Mola is 

 Latin for mill-stone, referring to the circular 

 outline of the body. It is also called head-fish. 

 It is a sluggish creature, quite indifferent to the 

 presence of man. Fishermen without any means 

 of capturing or killing it, often prod the big 

 fish with their oars without greatly disturbing 

 its composure. 



I once saw a large specimen basking near 

 the U. S. Steamship Albatross, while that ves- 

 sel was engaged in making a dee]) sea sounding 

 off the west coast of Mexico. We were not dis- 

 posed at that time to undertake the task of get- 

 ting it on board. The fish paid no attention to 

 the vessel nor the pistol shots fired at its pro- 

 jecting fin by foolish marksmen. 



One of the accompanying photographs shows 

 a specimen captured southeast of Long Island 

 by Mr. George McKesson Brown, of New York, 

 who informed me he had no means of bring- 

 ing it alive to the Aquarium. 



The ocean sunfish has a rough, shark-like 

 skin, rather silvery in coloration. The pectoral 

 fins are small and rounded, and the small gill 



opening is fitted with a 

 valve. It lacks ventral fins. 

 The vertical dorsal and anal 

 fins are conspicuously long 

 and heavy, but appear to 

 have rather limited freedom 

 of movement. 



The tail of this fish is its 

 most remarkable external 

 feature. It is verj- short 

 and thick and projects but 

 little behind the large ver- 

 tical fins, forming a heavy 

 rudder, hinged to the 

 "sawed-off" body by a soft 

 and flexible base. The tail, 

 with its few but heavy and 

 thick rays, extends nearly 

 to the height of the body. 

 Technically the fish has no 

 tail, the long dorsal and 

 anal fins being actually uni- 

 ted behind the body. 



The rather small mouth 

 contains a parrot-like beak, 

 the teeth in both jaws being 

 solidly fused together. 

 Of the food habits of the ocean sunfish not 

 much is known. Our specimen, a male, when 

 dissected at the Museum, had little in its stom- 

 ach but two or three handfuls of green seaweed 

 (Ulva). The beak is well adapted for crushing 



iind Wagner. Lengtl 

 ork Aquarium. 



OCEAN Sl'NFISH (MOLA MOLA). PALM BEACH. FLORIDA 



