Megalops atlanticus Valenciennes, 1846

Recherche rapide

Lien fishbase

Megalops atlanticus : Valenciennes, 1846 b : 398Histoire naturelle des poissons. | Pellegrin, 1922 i : 635Les poissons des eaux douces de l'Afrique occidentale. | Pellegrin, 1923 b : 44Les poissons des eaux douces de l'Afrique occidentale (du Sénégal au Niger). | Bertin, 1940 : 260Catalogue des types de poissons du Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle. 2e partie. (Dipneustes, Chondrostéens, Holostéens, Isospondyles). | Barnard, 1947 : 39A pictorial guide to South African Fishes, marine and freshwater. | Trewavas & Irvine, 1947 : 106, fig. 34Freshwater fishes of the Gold Coast. | Poll, 1953 f : 8Expédition océanographique belge dans les eaux côtières africaines de l'atlantique Sud (1948-1949). Résultats scientifiques. Poissons. III. Téléostéens Malacoptérygiens. | Roux, 1960 a : 314La faune des poissons du Niari (Moyen Congo) : étude du milieu et comparaison avec les bassins voisins. | Gras, 1961 : 573Liste des poissons du Bas Dahomey, faisant partie de la collection du laboratoire d'hydrobiologie du service des eaux, forêts et chasses du Dahomey. | Daget & Iltis, 1965 : 17Poissons de Côte d'Ivoire (eaux douces et saumâtres). | Breder & Rosen, 1966 : 74, 628-629Modes of reproduction in fishes. | Monod, 1968 b : 210, fig. 94-95, 846Le complexe urophore des poissons téléostéens. | Daget, 1969 b : 1114Poissons d'eau douce du Sénégal récoltés par MM. A. Villiers et C. Reizer. | Kamara, 1977 : 52A list of the estuarine and marine fishes and some shellfishes of Sierra Leone, with their common names in either Krio or English. | Daget, 1984 d : 33 (synonym of Tarpon atlanticus)7. Megalopidae. | Doucette, 1985 : 5, 26, 29, 30, 31, 33, 35Karyology of lower teleost fishes (Clupeiformes, Taxonomy, Elopiformes, Phylogeny). | Doucette & Fitzsimons, 1988 : 126Karyology of elopiform and clupeiform fishes. | Bauchot, 1990 b : 90 (synonym of Tarpon atlanticus)7. Meglopidae. | Poll & Gosse, 1995 : 85Genera des poissons d'eau douce de l'Afrique. | Wirtz et al., 2008 : 1, 5The coastal fishes of Madeira Island - new records and an annotated check-list. | Séret & Opic, 2011 : 84 (synonym of Tarpon atlanticus)Poissons de mer de l'ouest Africain tropical. | Wirtz et al., 2013 : 113, 117The coastal fishes of the Cape Verde Islands - new records and an annotated check-list. | Ferraris & Smith, 2016 : 1523, fig.Order Elopiformes: Megalopidae. | Skelton, 2019 : 214Chapter 11. The freshwater fishes of Angola. | Fermon et al., 2022 : 111, A9, A19, A24An annotated checklist of the fishes of Gabon..
Megalops thrissoides (non Bloch & Schneider, 1801) : Rochebrune (de), 1883 : 146 (misapplied)Faune de la Sénégambie. | Daget, 1984 d : 33 (synonym of Tarpon atlanticus) (misapplied)7. Megalopidae..
Tarpon atlanticus : Greenwood, 1970 b : 121, fig. 1, 2 B, pl. 3 (senior synonym)Skull and swimbladder connections in fishes of the family Megalopidae. | Fowler, 1973 : 98 (senior synonym)A catalog of World fishes (18). | Whitehead, 1981 b : 1 p, fig. (senior synonym)Megalopidae. | Daget, 1984 d : 33 (senior synonym)7. Megalopidae. | Hureau, 1984 : 226-227 (senior synonym)Megalopidae. | Bianchi, 1986 : 15 (senior synonym)Fichas FAO de identifacao de espécies para propósitos comerciais. Guia de campo para as espécies comerciais marinhas e de águas salobras de Angola. | Albaret, 1987 : 309 (senior synonym)Les peuplements de poissons de la Casamance (Sénégal) en période de sécheresse. | Bauchot, 1990 b : 90-91, fig. 7.1 (senior synonym)7. Meglopidae. | Saldanha & Whitehead, 1990 : 120-121 (senior synonym)Megalopidae. | Schneider, 1990 : 81, fig. (senior synonym)FAO species identification sheets for fishery purposes. Field guide to the commercial marine resources of the Gulf of Guinea. | Robins et al., 1991 : 26 (senior synonym)World fishes important to North Americans. Exclusive of species from the continental waters of the United States and Canada. | Sanches, 1991 : 51 (senior synonym)Catalogo dos principais peixes marinhos da Republica de Guiné-Bissau. | Albaret, 1994 : 242 (senior synonym)Les poissons, biologie et peuplements. | Diouf, 1996 : 130 (senior synonym)Les peuplements de poissons des milieux estuariens de l'Afrique de l'Ouest: L'exemple de l'estuaire hyperhalin du Sine-Saloum. | Reiner, 1996 : 48 (senior synonym)Catalogo dos peixes do arquipélago de Cabo Verde. | Bauchot, 2003 a : 116-117, fig. 7.1 (senior synonym)7. Megalopidae. | Séret & Opic, 2011 : 84-85, fig. (senior synonym)Poissons de mer de l'ouest Africain tropical..

Attributs

DISTRIBUTION: Lien Faunafri
Breathing / respiration : obligate air-breathing. The swim bladder, attached to the oesophagus, can be filled directly with air and permits the fish to live in oxygen-poor waters .
Chromosomes : Doucette, 1985 | Doucette & Fitzsimons, 1988 .
Colour pattern : Bauchot, 1990b | Bauchot, 2003b | Whitehead, 1981b .
Common names : Tainha (Creole, Portuguese: Cape Verde), Tarpon atlantsky (Czech), Atlantisk Tarpon / Tarpon (Danish), Tarpon (Dutch), Atlantic tarpon / Silverfish / Silverking / Tarpon (English), Madzorfloe / Tarpon (English: Ghana), Atlandi tarpon (Estonian), Tarponi (Finnish), Ofin (Fon Gbe: Benin), Tarpon / Tarpon argenté / Tarpon atlantique (French), Manyofle (Ga: Ghana), Atlantischer Tarpun / Silberfisch / Tarpon / Tarpun (German), Tarpone (Italian), Tarpon (Norwegian), Tarpon atlantycki (Polish), Peixe-prata (Portuguese: Angola / Cape Verde), Peixe-prata-do-atlântico / Tainha-congo / Tarpao / Tarpao-do-Atlântico (Portuguese), Tarpao / Tarpao-do-Atlântico (Portuguese: Cape Verde), Dimtatoli (Serer-Sine: Senegal), Pez lagarto / Sabalo / Tarpon (Spanish), Mèl / Mell / Walidor / Wallidöër) (Wolof: Senegal) .
Current distribution known : from Mauritania to Angola in eastern Atlantic Ocean .
Distribution_references : Bauchot, 1990b | Bauchot, 2003b | Whitehead, 1981b .
Food habits / trophic level : feed on fishes like sardines, anchovies, Mugilidae, Centropomus, Cichlidae (mainly those forming schools) and crabs. Juveniles start on a diet of zooplankton, small crustaceans, and insect .
Habitat / home range : inhabits coastal waters, bays, estuaries, mangrove-lined lagoons, and rivers. Often found in river mouths and bays, entering fresh water. Lower depth limit at 40m. Large schools may frequent particular spots for years .
Habitat_references : Bianchi, 1986 | Schneider, 1990 .
Migration / movement : tarpon may have resident, migratory, or mixed populations. Tagging studies indicate that some mature tarpon may undertake substantial and alongshore migrations, while others are residents of particular locations. These movements may represent repeated migratory patterns, or there may be significant annual variation in the movement pattern of individuals. Seasonal migrations may also occur .
Morphology / anatomy : Bauchot, 1990b | Bauchot, 2003b | Greenwood, 1970 b | Monod, 1968 .
Reproduction : tarpon are batch spawners, and spawning season appears to vary by location. Has high fecundity, a 203 cm female is estimated to produce over 12 million eggs. Spawn in waters which can be temporarily isolated from the open sea. Transparent leptocephalus larvae migrate into estuaries .
Reproduction_references : Breder & Rosen, 1966 .
Size : 2500 mm TL, 161 kg; maximum age via validated otoliths from wild tarpon: males 43 years, female 55 years; maximum age in captivity: 63 years or up to 80 years .
Types :
- Megalops atlanticus Valenciennes in Cuvier & Valenciennes, 1846: 398. Type locality: "Antilles". Syntypes MNHN n° 3177 and A-8839 to A-8840.
Use and trade : marketed fresh or salted. Large scales are used in ornamental work and in preparation of artificial pearls. Highly appreciated by sport fishers. The flesh is also highly appreciated despite its being bony .