tarpon

Megalops atlanticus

Vulnerable Megalopid Fish of the Caribbean Sea

Tropical
Regional distribution
Atlantic Ocean
Pacific Ocean
Africa
Central America and the Caribbean
Europe
North America
South America
Fusiform
Compressed cross-section
Large
Tropical fish

The Atlantic tarpon (Megalops atlanticus) 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.

Class: Teleosts
Order: Tarpons and Tenpounders
Family: Megalopidae
Genus: Megalops
Maximum length: 250 cm
Body shape: fusiform
Distribution: Atlantic Ocean: from Nova Scotia, Bermuda and southward to Brazil in western Atlantic Ocean (Ref. 3234 , 4446 ), where it it also found throughout the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean (Ref. 26938 ); from Mauritania to Angola in eastern Atlantic Ocean (Ref. 2845 , 3234 , 4446 , 81266 ); with exceptional records in Portugal, Azores and Atlantic coast of southern France (Ref. 3234 , 4446 ). Crossed the Panama canal and was caught at Coiba Island in the Pacific Ocean (Ref. 4446 ).
Conservation status: VUVulnerable

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