Any of several fishes of the family Elopidae or Megalopidae, especially a large silvery game fish (Megalops atlanticus) of Atlantic coastal waters.
[Origin unknown.]
tarpon
Dictionary:
tar·pon (tär'pən)  |
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Young Atlantic tarpon (Tarpon atlanticus) (credit: Courtesy of Miami Seaquarium)
Young Atlantic tarpon (Tarpon atlanticus) (credit: Courtesy of Miami Seaquarium)
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| Columbia Encyclopedia: 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.
| WordNet: tarpon |
Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.
The noun has one meaning:
Meaning #1:
large silvery game fish of warm Atlantic coastal waters especially off Florida
Synonym: Tarpon atlanticus
| Wikipedia: Tarpon |
For other uses, see Tarpon (disambiguation).
Not to be confused with Tarpan.
| Tarpon Fossil range: Late Miocene to Present [1] |
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The tarpons are two species of fish, the only members of the family Megalopidae and genus Megalops. They are large coastal fish prized by anglers.
They grow up to 2 metres (6.6 ft) in length and sometimes weigh 160 kilograms (350 lb). When swimming in oxygen-poor water, tarpons can breathe air from the surface using their swim bladder as a primitive lung. They have a similar leptocephalus larve to eels, which float in surface waters before taking on the adult form.[2] There are two species, one native to the Atlantic, and the other to the Indo-Pacific oceans.
The genus name derives from the Greek adjective μεγάλος - megalos meaning "large", and the noun ὤψ - ops, meaning "face".
Species
- Atlantic tarpon, Megalops atlanticus
- Indo-Pacific tarpon, Megalops cyprinoides
References
- ^ Sepkoski, Jack (2002). "A compendium of fossil marine animal genera". Bulletins of American Paleontology 364: p.560. http://strata.ummp.lsa.umich.edu/jack/showgenera.php?taxon=611&rank=class. Retrieved on 2008-01-08.
- ^ McCosker, John F. (1998). Paxton, J.R. & Eschmeyer, W.N.. ed. Encyclopedia of Fishes. San Diego: Academic Press. p. 85. ISBN 0-12-547665-5.
External links
- References to the genus Megalops in The Biodiversity Heritage Library
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 | Elopidae (vertebrate zoology) |
| Tarpon Springs |
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 | Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/ Read more |
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| WordNet. WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Tarpon". Read more |
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Mentioned in
- Elopidae (vertebrate zoology)
- Tarpon Springs
- Atlantic tarpon
- ladyfish
- Elopiformes (Ladyfish and Tarpon) (zoology)
- Cabo to the Keys (Sports & Recreation Film)
- Florida's Sun Coast (Travel Film)
- Polar (1984 Thriller Film)
- Inside Sportfishing: 60 Seconds of Pure Adrenaline (2000 Sports & Recreation Film)
- silverfish
- tarpum
- Intracoastal Waterway (navigation)
- Thomas Armour (person)
- Swimsuit Anglers (2001 Sports & Recreation Film)
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