Tarpon

Tarpon
	Atlantic tarpon ( Megalops atlanticus )
Systematics
Subclass :	Neuflosser (Neopterygii)
Subclass :	Real bony fish (Teleostei)
Cohort :	Elopomorpha
Order :	Elopiformes (Elopiformes)
Family :	Megalopidae
Genre :	Tarpon
Scientific name of the family
	Megalopidae
	Lacépède , 1803
Scientific name of the genus
	Megalops
	Lacepède , 1803

The tarpon ( megalops ) are a genus of large, primeval real bony fish (Teleostei), which live with two species worldwide in all warm oceans.

features

Tarpon are large, silvery fish that can grow to be 1.5 to 2.5 meters long. Its laterally flattened body is covered by large scales. The mouth is above, the lower jaw protrudes. A small bone plate (gulare) lies between the two branches of the lower jaw. The gill space is protected on the abdomen by 23 to 27 Branchiostegal rays . The single dorsal fin is supported by 13 to 21 rays , the last of which is elongated. The anal fin has 22 to 29 fin rays, the pelvic fins 10 or 11. The pelvic fins are very deep. Tarponons have a Conus arteriosus. There is no pseudo- branch. The pores of the sideline branch out over the scales of the sideline system. Tarpon are the only elopomorpha with a swim bladder that extends to the head. With their help, they can absorb air and survive in oxygen-poor water. The larvae of the tarpon are transparent leptocephalus larvae .

Systematics

The following two recent species belong to the genus of the tarpon :

German name	Scientific name	distribution	Hazard level Red List of IUCN	image
Atlantic tarpon	Megalops atlanticus Lacepède , 1803	Tropical and subtropical Atlantic .	( Vulnerable - endangered)
Indo-Pacific tarpon	Megalops cyprinoides ( Broussonet , 1782)	Tropical and subtropical Indo-Pacific .	( Data Deficient - insufficient data basis)

Sedenhorstia dayi

Fossil record

Members of the Megalopidae family have been found to have fossils since the Upper Mesozoic . Two genera found in Germany are Pachtrissops from the Upper Jurassic of Solnhofen and Sendenhorstia from the Upper Cretaceous of Westphalia .

literature

Joseph S. Nelson : Fishes of the World . John Wiley & Sons, 2006, ISBN 0-471-25031-7
Kurt Fiedler: Textbook of Special Zoology, Volume II, Part 2: Fish . Gustav Fischer Verlag Jena, 1991, ISBN 3-334-00339-6
Karl Albert Frickhinger: Fossils Atlas Fish , Mergus-Verlag, Melle, 1999, ISBN 3-88244-018-X

Web links

Commons : Tarpon ( Megalops ) - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Tarpon on Fishbase.org (English)

Individual evidence

↑ Megalops atlanticus in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2008. Posted by: Adams, A. Guindon, K., Horodysky, A. MacDonald, T., McBride, R., Shenker, J. & Ward, R. , 2011. Retrieved January 15, 2018.
↑ Megalops cyprinoides in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2008. Posted by: Adams, A. Guindon, K., Horodysky, A. MacDonald, T., McBride, R., Shenker, J., Ward, R. & Sparks, JS, 2016. Retrieved January 15, 2018.

[1] Megalops atlanticus in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2008. Posted by: Adams, A. Guindon, K., Horodysky, A. MacDonald, T., McBride, R., Shenker, J. & Ward, R. , 2011. Retrieved January 15, 2018.

[2] Megalops cyprinoides in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2008. Posted by: Adams, A. Guindon, K., Horodysky, A. MacDonald, T., McBride, R., Shenker, J., Ward, R. & Sparks, JS, 2016. Retrieved January 15, 2018.