Opah

The opah, also commonly known as moonfish, sunfish (not to be confused with Molidae or ocean sunfish), cowfish, kingfish, and redfin ocean pan are large, colorful, deep-bodied pelagic lampriform fishes comprising the genus Lampris, of the small family Lampridae (also spelled Lamprididae).

Species

Two living species were traditionally recognized, but a taxonomic review in 2018 suggests the idea of splitting L. guttatus into several species, each with a more restricted geographic range, bringing the total to six. The six species of Lampris have mostly non-overlapping geographical ranges, and can be recognized based on body shape and coloration pattern.

Southern Spotted Opah (Lampris australensis): Found in the Southern Hemisphere, primarily in the Pacific and Indian Oceans.

North Atlantic Opah (Lampris guttatus): Potentially located in the Northeastern Atlantic, including the Mediterranean Sea.

Southern Opah (Lampris immaculatus): Geographical range extends from 34° S to the Antarctic Polar Front.

Smalleye Pacific Opah (Lampris incognitus): Found in eastern and central North Pacific Ocean.

East Atlantic Opah (Lampris lauta): Found in Eastern Atlantic Ocean, including the Mediterranean, Azores and Canary Islands.

Bigeye Pacific Opah (Lampris megalopsis): Found in the Gulf of Mexico, Indian Ocean, the western Pacific Ocean and Chile.

Extinct species

† Lampris zatima, also known as Diatomœca zatima, is a very small, extinct species from the late Miocene of what is now Southern California known primarily from fragmentary fossils, and occasional headless specimens.