Overview
Elopiformes () is the order 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 (7 species, one of which was described in 2010)
- Family Megalopidae (Tarpons)
- Genus Megalops (2 species)
Timeline of genera
"Megalopiformes"
Order Elopiformes
- Family Elopidae (Ladyfish)
- Genus Elops (7 species, one of which was described in 2010)
- Family Megalopidae (Tarpons)
- Genus Megalops (2 species)
Timeline of genera
"Megalopiformes"
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.
- ^ Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2009). "Elopiformes" in FishBase. January 2009 versi on.
- Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2006). "Elopiformes" in FishBase. May 2006 version.
- Mikko's Phylogeny for Elopiformes
- Sepkoski, Jack (2002). "A compendium of fossil marine animal genera". Bulletins of American Paleontology 364: p.560. http://strata.ummp.lsa.umich.edu/jack/showgenera.php?taxon=611&rank=class. Retrieved 2011-05-17.
External links
- The inshore grand slam Article about bonefish, ladyfish and tarpon.
Taxonomy
The Order Elopiformes is further organized into finer groupings including:
- Family (3): Elopidae · Megalopidae · Pachyrhizodontidae
- Species: ZipcodeZoo has pages for 55 species and subspecies in the Order Elopiformes.
Families
Elopidae
Elopidae is a family of ray-finned fish containing the single genus Elops. They are commonly known as ladyfish, skipjacks, Jack-Rashes, or tenpounders. [more]
Megalopidae
Tarpons are large fish of the genus Megalops. There are two species of Megalops, one native to the Atlantic, and the other to the Indo-Pacific oceans. They are the only members of the family Megalopidae. [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.
- ^ Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2009). "Elopiformes" in FishBase. January 2009 version.
Sources
- The text on this page is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It includes material from Wikipedia retrieved Wednesday, April 25, 2012.
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