270 Isospondyli 
for that purpose the white-meated or soft-fleshed forms like 
Elops or Scarus to those which yield a better flavor when cooked. 
The ten-pounder (Elops saurus), pike-like in form but with 
very weak teeth, is found in tropical America. Elops machnata, 
the jackmariddle, the awaawa of the Hawaiians, abounding in 
the Pacific, is scarcely if at all different. 
The tarpon, called also grande écaille, silver-king, and sabalo 
(Tarpon atlanticus), is a favorite game-fish along the coasts of 
Florida and Carolina. It takes the hook with great spirit, and 
Fig. 202.—Tarpon or Grande Ecaille, Tarpon atlanticus Cuv. & Val. Florida. 
as it reaches a length of six feet or more it affords much excite- 
ment to the successful angler. The very large scales are much 
used in ornamental work. 
A similar species of smaller size, also with the last ray of 
the dorsal very much produced, is Megalops cyprinoides of the 
East Indies. Other species occur in the South Seas. 
Numerous fossil genera related to Elops are found in the 
Cretaceous and Tertiary rocks. Holcolepis lewesiensis (wrongly 
called Osmeroides) is the best-known European species. Numer- 
ous species are referred to Elopopsis. Megalops prisca and 
species of Elops also occur in the London Eocene. 
In all these the large parietals meet along the median line 
of the skull. In the closely related family of Spaniodontide 
the parietals are small and do not meet. All the species of 
this group, united by Woodward with the Elopide, are extinct. 
These fishes preceded the Elopide in the Cretaceous period. 
Leading genera are Thrissopater and Spaniodon, the latter 
armed with large teeth. Spaniodon blondeli is from the Creta- 
