Mola tecta,, the hoodwinker sunfish, belongs to the family Molidae and genus Mola.
It is closely related to the more widely known ocean sunfish (Mola mola).
The Latin word "tecta" means hidden.
The word "hidden" was adopted for the name because the fish has blended in among other species of sunfish for a long time and has only been discovered recently.
Discovered on a beach near Christchurch, New Zealand, in 2015, it was the first new species of sunfish to be identified in 130 years.
Mola tecta are mostly discovered in the temperate region of Southern Hemisphere in the water near Australia, New Zealand Southern Chile and Southern Africa.
It was first described by Marianne Nyegaard, a marine scientist who studied ocean sunfish for her PhD.
Mola tecta,, the hoodwinker sunfish, belongs to the family Molidae and genus Mola. It is closely related to the more widely known ocean sunfish (Mola mola). The Latin word "tecta" means hidden. The word "hidden" was adopted for the name because the fish has blended in among other species of sunfish for a long time and has only been discovered recently. Discovered on a beach near Christchurch, New Zealand, in 2015, it was the first new species of sunfish to be identified in 130 years. Mola tecta are mostly discovered in the temperate region of Southern Hemisphere in the water near Australia, New Zealand Southern Chile and Southern Africa. It was first described by Marianne Nyegaard, a marine scientist who studied ocean sunfish for her PhD.
Mola tecta