Overview
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.
Tarpon are large coastal fish growing to 2 metres (6.6 ft) in length and 160 kilograms (350 lb) in weight. They are large-headed, relatively slender silver-sided fish with extremely large scales.
Tarpon are prized by anglers for their leaping, head-shaking fight. However they have little to no food value and are normally released un-harmed.
When swimming in oxygen-poor water, tarpons can breathe air from the surface using their swim bladder as a primitive lung. They have leptocephalic larvae similar to those of eels, which float in surface waters before taking on the adult form, ast which time they migrate to inshore waters where they mature before returning to the ocean .2] The genus name derives from the Greek adjective µe????? - megalos meaning "large", and the noun ?? - ops, meaning "face".
Species
- Atlantic tarpon, Megalops atlanticus
- Indo-Pacific tarpon, Megalops cyprinoides
Photos
Taxonomy
The Family Megalopidae is further organized into finer groupings including:
- Genus (1): Megalops
- Species: ZipcodeZoo has pages for 22 species and subspecies in the Family Megalopidae.
Genera
Megalops
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]
At least 25 species and subspecies belong to the Genus Megalops.
More info about the Genus Megalops may be found here.
References
- ^ 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 on 2008-01-08.
- ^ McCosker, John F. (1998). Paxton, J.R. & Eschmeyer, W.N.. ed. Encycloped ia of Fishes. San Diego: Academic Press. p. 85. ISBN 0-12-547665-5.
Sources
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