Семейство рыбы-луны (Molidae)

Family of fishes

The Molidae comprise the family of the molas or ocean sunfishes, unusual fish whose bodies come to an end just behind the dorsal and anal fins, giving them a "half fish" appearance. They are also the largest of the ray finned bony fish, with the southern sunfish, Mola alexandrini, recorded at 15 feet (5 m) in length and in weight. The family name comes from the ocean sunfish's scientific name Mola mola, both its genus name and epithet come from the Latin word mola for "millstone" because of its circular shape.

Molidae have the fewest vertebrae of any fish, with only 16 in Mola mola. They also completely lack all caudal bones, and most of their skeleton is made of cartilage. No bony plates occur in the skin, which is, however, thick and dense like cartilage and is fairly rough. They also lack swim bladders. Molids mostly swim by using their anal and dorsal fins; the pectoral fins are probably just stabilizers. To steer, they squirt a strong jet of water out of their mouths or gills. They can also make minor adjustments in the orientation of the anal fin or the dorsal fin so as to control the amount of force it produces and the angle at which the force is produced. In this respect, they use their fins much like a bird uses its wings. Molids are said to be able to produce sound by grinding their pharyngeal teeth, which are long and claw like. Typical of a member of Tetraodontiformes, their teeth are fused into a beak like structure, making it impossible for them to close their mouths. Despite this, they feed mainly on soft bodied animals, such as jellyfish and salps, although they also take small fish or crustaceans.