Overview
Elopiformes is the of ray-finned fish that includes the tarpons, tenpounders, and ladyfish, as well as a number of extinct types. They have a long fossil record, easily distinguished from other fishes by the presence of an additional set of bones in the throat.1]
They are related to the order of eels, although the adults resemble herrings in appearance. The larvae, however, are leptocephali, looking very similar to those of eels.[1]
Classification
Although many fossil forms are known, the order is relatively small today, containing just two genera and eight species:[2]
Order Elopiformes
- Family Elopidae (Ladyfish)
- Genus Elops (6 species)
- Family Megalopidae (Tarpons])
- Genus Megalops (2 species)
Photos
Taxonomy
The Order Elopiformes is further organized into finer groupings including:
- Family (3): Elopidae · Megalopidae · Pachyrhizodontidae
- Species: ZipcodeZoo has pages for 53 species and subspecies in the Order Elopiformes.
Families
Elopidae
Elopidae is a of ray-finned fish containing the single genus Elops. They are commonly known as ladyfishes, skipjacks, Jack-Rashes, or tenpounders. [more]
Megalopidae
There are two species of Tarpon, one native to the , and the other to the Indo-Pacific oceans. They are the only members of the family Megalopidae and genus Megalops. [more]
Pachyrhizodontidae
More info about the Family Pachyrhizodontidae may be found here.
References
- ^ a b c McCosker, John F. (1998). Paxton, J.R. & Eschmeyer, W.N.. ed. Encyclopedia of Fishes. San Diego: Academic Press. pp. 85-86. ISBN 0-12-547665-5.
- ^ "Elopiformes". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. January 2009 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2009.
Sources
- The text on this page is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It includes material from Wikipedia retrieved Thursday, August 13, 2009.
- Photographs on this page are copyrighted by individual photographers, and individual copyrights apply.
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