SOFT-RAYED BONY FISHES 93 



TARPON. 



(Family Elopid^e ; Genus Megalops.) Fig. 34. 



A large, herring-like fish, with an oblong, compressed body, 

 covered with large, smooth, silvery scales and a bony, naked 

 head. The eyes are large. The mouth is large, oblique, with 

 the lower jaw projecting beyond the upper, which extends 

 backwards to behind the level of the eye. There is a long 

 bony plate between the two halves of the lower jaw. The jaws 

 are provided with bands of fine pointed teeth, and there are 

 similar teeth on the roof of the mouth and on the tongue. 

 The single dorsal fin is placed in front of the anal fin and 

 behind the pelvic fins ; the last ray is drawn out to form a 

 long filament. The anal fin is longer than the dorsal and has a 

 distinctly concave margin. The caudal fin is deeply forked, 

 and its basal part is more or less covered with scales. The 

 pectoral and pelvic fins are rather long, and each has a special 

 pointed scale above it. The lateral line, running along the 

 side of the body, is nearly straight. An air-bladder is present, 

 and is connected with the gullet by a duct. The coloration is 

 a brilliant silver, with the back darker ; in life the upper part 

 of the back has a metallic blue hue, which appears green in 

 the water. 



The family Elopidae dates back to the Cretaceous period, 

 and the genus Megalops has been found in rocks of the Eocene 

 period. 



The Tarpon grows to a length of 6 to 8 feet and a weight of 

 more than 300 lb. 



Only one species of Tarpon (M. atlanticus) is known, which 

 ranges on the Atlantic coast of America from Long Island to 

 Brazil, being especially abundant in the Gulf of Mexico and in 

 the Caribbean Sea ; it is also found occasionally at Bermuda, 

 and crosses the Atlantic to the West Coast of Africa. There 

 is a second species of the genus Megalops, however, the so-called 

 Ox-eye or< Ox-eyed Herrung (M. cyprinoides) , found in the 

 Indian and Pacific Oceans, but this is a much smaller fish, 

 rarely exceeding a length of 3 or 4. feet. 



The Tarpon is essentially a coastal fish, but often ascends 

 the rivers of Florida, Texas and Mexico, sometimes for 

 considerable distances, and may also be found in fresh-water 



