Molidae

Molidae is a family of giant ray-finned fish that include the famous ocean sunfish and others. They are part of the order Tetraodontiformes.

Molidae Temporal range: Mid/Late Eocene to present[1] PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Mola mola
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Tetraodontiformes
Suborder:	Tetraodontoidei
Family:	Molidae Bonaparte, 1832
Genera[2]
†Austromola †Eomola Masturus Mola Ranzania

Description

The molas are different from other fishes. Instead, they have a large body looking like a giant fish head. They have the fewest vertebrae of any fish, with only 16 in Mola mola. Their skeleton is made of cartilage, much like a shark. They eat mushy animals like jellyfish and salps.

Genera

Extant

• Genus Masturus Gill, 1884
  • Masturus lanceolatus (Liénard, 1840 - sharptail mola
• Genus Mola Blyth, 1860
  • Mola mola Linnaeus, 1758 - ocean sunfish
  • Mola alexandrini Giglioli, 1883 - giant sunfish
  • Mola tecta Nyegaard et al., 2017 - hoodwinker sunfish
• Genus Ranzania Nardo, 1840
  • Ranzania laevis Pennant, 1776 - slender sunfish

Extinct

• Eomola bimaxillaria
• Austromola angerhoferi

The Hoodwinker Sunfish