alligator gar

Atractosteus spatula

Elongated Lepisosteid Fish from Mexican Waters

Tropical
Coastal
Northern Hemisphere
Regional distribution
North America
Elongated
Large
Tropical fish

The alligator gar (Atractosteus spatula) is a euryhaline ray-finned fish in the clade Ginglymodi of the infraclass Holostei , being most closely related to the bowfins. It is the largest species in the gar family (Lepisosteidae), and is among the largest freshwater fishes in North America. The fossil record traces its group's existence back to the Early Cretaceous over 100 million years ago.

Class: Gars and Bowfins
Order: Gars
Family: Lepisosteidae
Genus: Atractosteus
Maximum length: 260 cm
Body shape: elongated
Distribution: North America: ranges from Mississippi River basin from southwestern Ohio and southern Illinois in USA south to Gulf of Mexico; Gulf of Mexico Coastal Plain from Enconfina River in Florida, USA to Veracruz, Mexico.
Conservation status: LCLeast Concern

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