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Elops saurus Linnaeus, 1766 Ladyfish |
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photo by
NOAA\NMFS\Mississippi Laboratory |
| Family: | Elopidae (Tenpounders) | |||
| Max. size: | 100 cm TL (male/unsexed); max.weight: 10 kg | |||
| Environment: | demersal; brackish; marine; pH range: 0 - 10.4; depth range 0 - 50 m, amphidromous | |||
| Distribution: | Western Atlantic: Cape Cod (USA), Bermuda, and northern Gulf of Mexico to southern Brazil. Questionable occurrence records in the China (Ref. 52360), Taiwan (47843), and Vietnam (Ref. 9706, 46452). | |||
| Diagnosis: | Dorsal spines (total): 0-0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 25-29; Anal spines: 0-0; Anal soft rays: 16-19; Vertebrae: 73-85. Scales small, more than 100 in lateral line. Gular plate narrow (Ref. 26938). Silvery overall, with bluish on upper surface (Ref. 7251). Branchiostegal rays: 26-33 (Ref. 4639). | |||
| Biology: | Occur in shallow neritic areas, over muddy bottoms (Ref. 5217). Also found in brackish estuaries and juveniles are common in lagoons and hyper-saline bays (Ref. 5217). Form large schools close to the shore (Ref. 9987). Feed mainly on crustaceans and small fishes. Spawn in the open sea (Ref. 5217). Larval development is represented by profound changes in body form accompanied by 2 periods of length increase, interspaced by a period of length decrease (Ref. 4639). Noted for their habit of skipping along the surface of the water and for jumping after being hooked (Ref. 5521). Marketed fresh, salted and frozen but considered a second rate food fish (Ref. 3718). Rhynchobothrium bulbifer found in the viscera of the adult (Ref. 37032). | |||
| IUCN Red List Status: | Least Concern (LC); Date assessed: 30 March 2011 Ref. (130435) | |||
| Threat to humans: | harmless | |||