Abstract
THE oval disk on the dorsal surface of echeneid fishes has frequently been described as an adhesive apparatus or sucker. This may be partly correct, but the main function of the disk seems to be the collection of information from the surroundings, concerning such factors as temperature, pressure, the activities of other members of its own species, its hosts and enemies, and the availability of food and suitable breeding places. Adhesion is only a secondary function. In addition to riding on its host, the fish could actually be guiding the host in a particular direction, without the host being aware of any urge to secure the information which it is being directed to obtain.
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