Biology:Elops
Elops is a genus of marine ray-finned fish found worldwide, and the only extant member of the ancient family Elopidae. They are commonly known as ladyfish, skipjacks, jack-rashes, or tenpounders.
Taxonomy
The currently recognized extant species in this genus are:[1]
- Elops affinis Regan, 1909 (Pacific ladyfish)
- Elops hawaiensis Regan, 1909 (Hawaiian ladyfish or giant herring)
- Elops lacerta Valenciennes, 1847 (West African ladyfish or Guinean ladyfish)
- Elops machnata (Forsskål, 1775) (tenpounder)
- Elops saurus Linnaeus, 1766 (ladyfish)
- Elops senegalensis Regan, 1909 (Senegalese ladyfish)
- Elops smithi McBride, Rocha, Ruiz-Carus & Bowen, 2010 (malacho)[2]
The following fossil species are known, all from otoliths:
- †Elops bultyncki Nolf, 2004 - Early Cretaceous (Aptian) of Spain
- †Elops eutawanus Schwarzhans et al., 2018 - Late Cretaceous (Santonian) of Alabama, USA
- †Elops miiformis Lin et al., 2016 - Middle Eocene (Lutetian) of France[3]
- †Elops ramaekersii Schwarzhans, 1985 - Paleocene or early Eocene of Ellesmere Island, Canada)[4]
- ?†Elops undulatus Stinton, 1966 - early Eocene of England[4]
Excluding these fossil otoliths, the earliest fossil remains of Elops are known from the Early Oligocene of Germany.[5]
Phylogenetic analyses indicate that, in contrast to the ancient nature of the group, the modern species diversity within Elops originates from a relatively recent evolutionary radiation.[6]
Description
The ladyfish are a coastal-dwelling fish found throughout the tropical and subtropical regions, occasionally venturing into temperate waters.[7] Spawning takes place at sea, and the fish larvae migrate inland entering brackish waters. Their food is smaller fish and crustaceans (shrimp). Typically throughout the species, the maximum size is 1 m (3.3 ft) and the maximum weight 10 kg (22 lb). The body is fusiform (tapering spindle shape) and oval in cross-section; being slightly laterally compressed, and the eyes are large and partially covered with adipose eyelids.
References
- ↑ Haaramo, Mikko (2007). "Elopiformes – Tarpons and Tenpounders". http://www.helsinki.fi/~mhaaramo/metazoa/deuterostoma/chordata/actinopterygii/elopiformes.html.
- ↑ McBride, Richard S.; Rocha, Claudia R.; Ruiz-Carus, Ramon; Bowen, Brian W. (2012). "A new species of ladyfish, of the genus Elops (Elopiformes: Elopidae), from the western Atlantic Ocean". Zootaxa 2346: 29–41. http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/2010/f/zt02346p041.pdf.
- ↑ Lin, Chien-Hsiang; Nolf, Dirk; Steurbaut, Etienne; Girone, Angela (2017-11-02). "Fish otoliths from the Lutetian of the Aquitaine Basin (SW France), a breakthrough in the knowledge of the European Eocene ichthyofauna". Journal of Systematic Palaeontology 15 (11): 879–907. doi:10.1080/14772019.2016.1246112. ISSN 1477-2019. Bibcode: 2017JSPal..15..879L. https://doi.org/10.1080/14772019.2016.1246112.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Schwarzhans, Werner (1986). "Fish otoliths from the lower Tertiary of Ellesmere Island". Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 23 (6): 787–793. doi:10.1139/e86-080. ISSN 0008-4077. Bibcode: 1986CaJES..23..787S. https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/10.1139/e86-080.
- ↑ Micklich, N.; Parin, N. (1995). "The fishfauna of Frauenweiler (Middle Oligocene, Rupelian; Germany): First results of a review". Publ. Espec. Inst. Esp. Oceanogr. 21: 129–148. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/309050347.
- ↑ de Sousa, Rodrigo Petry Corrêa; Bessa-Brito, Carla Denise; Guimarães-Costa, Auryceia; Evangelista-Gomes, Grazielle; Sampaio, Iracilda; de Oliveira, Edivaldo Herculano Corrêa; Vallinoto, Marcelo (2022-11-20). "Exploring the Diversity of Elopidae (Teleostei; Elopiformes) Using DNA Barcoding Analysis" (in en). Diversity 14 (11): 1008. doi:10.3390/d14111008. ISSN 1424-2818. Bibcode: 2022Diver..14.1008D.
- ↑ Adams, A. J., Horodysky, A. Z., McBride, R. S., Guindon, K., Shenker, J., MacDonald, T. C., Harwell, H. D., Ward, R., and Carpenter, K. Global conservation status and research needs for tarpons (Megalopidae), ladyfishes (Elopidae) and bonefishes (Albulidae). Fish and Fisheries (online, early view as of 2013). http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/faf.12017/abstract
Template:Elopomorpha Wikidata ☰ Q909535 entry
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