tarpon

tarpon (tär`pŏn), common name for members of the family Elopidae, large herringlike game fish of the warm seas of the Western Hemisphere, ranging occasionally from Long Island to Brazil and to the west coast of Africa and entering freshwater streams freely. Their heavy, silvery scales, sometimes used as ornaments, give them the name silver king. Tarpons average 6 ft (183 cm) in length and 150 lb (67.5 kg) in weight, although some may be over 8 ft (244 cm) long and weigh more than 300 lb (135 kg). Active and predacious, they prey on schools of small fry. They are favorites of deep-sea fishermen, particularly Tarpon atlanticus, found in the warmer parts of the Atlantic Ocean. Tarpons are classified in the phylum Chordata, subphylum Vertebrata, class Osteichthyes, order Clupeiformes, family Elopidae.

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tarpon

Young Atlantic tarpon (Tarpon atlanticus)

(credit: Courtesy of Miami Seaquarium)

Any of certain marine fish (family Megalopidae) having an elongated last dorsal fin ray and a bony throat plate between the sides of the protruding lower jaw. The scales are large, thick, and silvery. The Atlantic tarpon (Tarpon atlanticus or Megalops atlanticus) is found inshore in warm parts of the Atlantic Ocean, on the Pacific Ocean side of Central America, and sometimes in rivers. It habitually breaks the water's surface and gulps air. It grows to 6 ft (1.8 m) and 100 lb (45 kg) or larger and is a favourite game fish. The Pacific tarpon (M. cyprinoides) is similar.

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tarpon [′tär·pən]

(vertebrate zoology)

Megalops atlantica. A herringlike fish of the family Elopidae weighing up to 300 pounds (136 kilograms) and reaching a length of 8 feet (2.4 meters); it has a single soft, rayed dorsal fin, strong jaws, a bony plate under the mouth, numerous small teeth, and coarse, bony flesh covered with large scales.