Tarpon
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For other uses, see Tarpon (disambiguation).
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The tarpons (Spanish: sábalos) are large coastal fish prized by anglers. They grow up to 8 feet in length and sometimes weigh 200 pounds. When swimming in oxygen poor water, tapon can breathe air from the surface. There are two species in a single genus Megalops in the family Megalopidae[1], one native to the Atlantic, and the other to the Indo-Pacific oceans. Both are large silvery fishes.
The genus name derives from the Greek adjective megalo meaning 'large', and the noun opsi, meaning 'face'.
[edit] Species
- Atlantic tarpon, Megalops atlanticus, a famous sport fish.
- Indo-Pacific tarpon, Megalops cyprinoides, a lesser-known and smaller fish.
