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Opah
Lampris guttatus (Brünnich, 1788)
An 87cm long Opah.
The Opah is a deep-bodied, compressed fish. It is deep blue on the back grading to a lighter blue or silver on the belly. The body is covered with white spots and the fins are a vibrant red.
Opahs grow to over 1.5 m in length and can weigh over 70 kg.
They eat other fishes and squids.
The species has a worldwide oceanic distribution. It is a mid-water species which lives at depths between 100 m and 400 m. In Australia it is known from off northern New South Wales, around the south of the country including Tasmania, to south-western Western Australia.
The 87 cm long specimen in the image is registered in the Australian Museum Fish Collection (AMS I.24492-001). It was collected on a tuna long line off Ulladulla, New South Wales in March 1984. The upper lobe of its caudal (tail) fin is missing.
The species has also been called Spotted Moonfish and Opal Fish.
Further Reading
- Glover, C.J.M. in Gomon, M.F., C.J.M. Glover & R.H. Kuiter (Eds). 1994. The Fishes of Australia's South Coast. State Print, Adelaide. Pp. 992.
- Wheeler, A. 1975. Fishes of the World. An Illustrated Dictionary. Ferndale Editions. Pp.366.
