| Elops smithi | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Elopiformes |
| Family: | Elopidae |
| Genus: | Elops |
| Species: | E. smithi |
| Binomial name | |
| Elops smithi | |
The malacho or Southern ladyfish, [1] (Elops smithi) is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus Elops, the only genus in the monotypic family Elopidae.
Elops smithi like other species in its genus, has a long, slender, round body covered with silvery scales. The mouth is terminal and the tail is deeply forked. Identification of all seven Elops species requires counting the number of gillrakers and vertebrae. [2]
Elops smithi is distributed in the western South Atlantic Ocean from as far south as Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to the Caribbean Sea, Bahamas, and the southwestern Gulf of Mexico. [2] [3] [4] [5]
Leptocephali and juveniles are also collected along the eastern seaboard of North America, the northern and eastern Gulf of Mexico, and Bermuda, but these represent waifs or vagrants, [4] [6] [7] and do not support a population of adults.
Its distribution overlaps with the ladyfish ( Elops saurus ) in the southeast US and the southern Gulf of Mexico. [2] [4]
Like other members of Elopidae, E. smithi is a pelagic fish that spawns in the sea, but little is known about this marine phase. The larvae, which are transparent and laterally compressed, are dispersed inshore and enter embayments, where they reside for two to three years before moving offshore. [4] [8] [9] The juveniles are euryhaline, or tolerant to a wide range of salinity, so these embayments may be low-salinity estuaries or hyper-saline lagoons. [10] Subadults move into the lower reaches of the embayments, eventually leaving in association with maturation for offshore, marine habitats. Diets in the Caribbean region are dominated by engraulidids fish and penaeids shrimp. [8] [9]
Malacho were used as bait in commercial fisheries in Cuba. [8] In the southeast U.S., the malacho is a small (< 1-2%) but unrecognized component of the commercial and recreational catch. [4] Recreational landings occurring in Puerto Rico should be attributed to Elops smithi where this species is considered a popular sportfish. [11] This species is likely caught in subsistence fisheries elsewhere in its range.
Elops species use estuarine areas and hypersaline lagoons; changes in the quality of these habitats may affect this genus' population dynamics. Although not closely associated with any single habitat, it may be adversely affected by development and urbanization. [12]
The Elopiformes are the order of ray-finned fish including 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.
The bonefish is the type species of the bonefish family (Albulidae), the only family in order Albuliformes.
The Elopidae are a family of ray-finned fish containing a single living genus Elops. They are commonly known as ladyfish, skipjacks, jack-rashes, or tenpounders.
The ladyfish or tenpounder is a species of fish in the genus Elops, the only genus in the monotypic family Elopidae.
The superorder Elopomorpha contains a variety of types of fishes that range from typical silvery-colored species, such as the tarpons and ladyfishes of the Elopiformes and the bonefishes of the Albuliformes, to the long and slender, smooth-bodied eels of the Anguilliformes. The one characteristic uniting this group of fishes is they all have leptocephalus larvae, which are unique to the Elopomorpha. No other fishes have this type of larvae.
The Pacific ladyfish, also known as the Pacific tenpounder and machete, is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus Elops, the only genus in the monotypic family Elopidae. The Pacific ladyfish can be found throughout the southwest U.S. and other areas in the Pacific Ocean.
The Hawaiian ladyfish, also known as the Hawaiian tenpounder or banana fish, is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Elopidae. It is sometimes referred to as the giant herring, though it is not closely related to the true herrings of the family Clupeidae. Its Hawaiian name is awa 'aua. It is native to the west central Pacific Ocean, and the current classification may in fact consist of several species.
The West African ladyfish is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Elopidae. It is native to the coastal waters of the eastern Atlantic Ocean, from Senegal to Angola. It is also known as the Guinean ladyfish. Some have been known to grow to 20 lb (9.1 kg).
The Senegalese ladyfish is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Elopidae, and it's native to the coastal waters of the eastern Atlantic Ocean from Mauritania to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is often confused with the West African ladyfish, Elops lacerta, and can be distinguished only by the number of gill rakers on the lower part of the first gill arch, and the number of scales on the lateral line.
Elops machnata, the tenpounder, is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Elopidae in the order Elopiformes. This species is found in coastal regions of the Indian Ocean.
The Atlantic tarpon is a ray-finned fish that inhabits coastal waters, estuaries, lagoons, and rivers. It is also known as the silver king. It is found in the Atlantic Ocean, typically in tropical and subtropical regions, though it has been reported as far north as Nova Scotia and the Atlantic coast of southern France, and as far south as Argentina. As with all elopiformes, it spawns at sea. Its diet includes small fish and crustaceans.
The Indo-Pacific tarpon, also known as the oxeye herring or simply herring due to its superficial resemblance to the true herrings, of which it is not a member, is the smaller of the two species of tarpon and lives in Indo-Pacific waters.
Albula virgata is a species of marine fish found in the Hawaiian Islands. It is known commonly as the longjaw bonefish. They grow up to 32 cm (13 in).
Albula glossodonta is a type of marine fish found in the Pacific Ocean. They grow up to 70 cm. Shortjaw bonefish are important to food security throughout the coastal Pacific where they are native as Pacific island communities depend on this fish for food. However, the species has become depleted throughout much of its range.
Paralichthys lethostigma, the southern flounder, is a species of large-tooth flounder native to the East Coast of the United States and the northern Gulf of Mexico. It is a popular sport fish and is the largest and most commercially valuable flounder in the western North Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. It is a "left-eyed flounder", meaning the left side is pigmented and is the "up side".
Anaethalion is an extinct genus of prehistoric marine and freshwater ray-finned fish related to modern tarpons and ladyfish. It is known from the Late Jurassic to the Early Cretaceous of Europe and northeasterrn Asia, roughly encompassing the Tethys Ocean.
Albula is an ancient genus of fish belonging to the family Albulidae. Members of this genus inhabit warm coastal waters worldwide.
Albula argentea, the silver sharpjaw bonefish, is a species of marine fish found in the tropical western Pacific Ocean. They grow up to 70 cm (28 in).
Albula koreana, the Korean bonefish, is a species of marine fish found in the western Pacific Ocean, off the coast of eastern Asia.
Albula nemoptera, also known as the Caribbean bonefish, threadfin bonefish, or shafted bonefish, is a species of marine fish found in the western Caribbean Sea, from Honduras west to Panama.
