Opah

opah Lampris guttatus (formerly regius), is a large and beautiful fish which is met, very rarely, in the Mediterranean, and rarely in the Atlantic and Indo-Pacific. It is a fish of the deep seas, swimming in the midwaters; and since these have not been fully explored there is still something to be learned of its distribution. It has also been called moonfish and mariposa.

The opah, despite being toothless, and of majestic build, pursues and eats other fish and squid. On this diet it may grow very large, for example over 1.5 m (60") in length and over 1 m (40") in depth; the largest recorded weight is close on 75 kg (160 lb). Jane Grigson (1973) described its beauty well:

The aspect of its rounded eyes and rounded head is mild, almost dolphin-like. The huge, plump body, a taut oval up to 6 feet long, is softly spotted with white. The main blue-grey and green of its skin reflects an iridescence of rose, purple and gold. The fins are a brilliant red. The sickle tail has reminded people of the moon’s shape; the ribs of its fins have seemed like the scarlet rays of the sun.