Elopidae

Not to be confused with Elapidae.

The Elopidae are a family of ray-finned fish containing a single living genus Elops. They are commonly known as ladyfish, skipjacks, jack-rashes, or tenpounders.

Elopidae Temporal range: Early Cretaceous–Recent PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N [1]
Elops saurus
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Elopiformes
Family:	Elopidae Bonaparte 1832
Type species
Elops saurus Linnaeus, 1766
Genera
†Davichthys Forey 1973 †Flindersichthys Longman 1932 †Histialosa Gervais 1855 †Italoelops Taverne & Capasso, 2024 †Landanaelops Taverne & Smith, 2025 †Lyrolepis Romanowski 1886 non Rechiger 1943 †Naiathaelon Poyato-Ariza & Wenz 1994 †Nardoelops Taverne & Capasso 2012 †Opisthopteryx Pictet & Humbert 1866 †Palelops Applegate 1970 †Sauropsidium Costa 1850 †Thrissopteroides von der Marck 1873 Elops Linnaeus 1766 non Bonaparte 1831 non Commerson ex Lacépède 1801
Synonyms[2]
Elopina Günther 1868 Siagonotes Duméril 1805

The ladyfish are a coastal-dwelling fish found throughout the tropical and subtropical regions, occasionally venturing into temperate waters.^[3] Spawning takes place at sea, and the fish larvae migrate inland entering brackish waters. Their food is smaller fish and crustaceans (shrimp). Typically throughout the species, the maximum size is 1 m (3.3 ft) and the maximum weight 10 kg (22 lb). The body is fusiform (tapering spindle shape) and oval in cross-section; being slightly laterally compressed, and the eyes are large and partially covered with adipose eyelids.^{[citation needed]}

Like those of eels, the larvae are leptocephalic - being highly compressed, ribbon-like, and transparent. After initial growth, they shrink and then metamorphose into the adult form.^{[citation needed]}

This family is fished, but their bodies are bony, so these fish are not marketed widely for consumption. They are caught and used as bait or may be ground down for fish meal.^{[citation needed]}

Etymology

The name comes from the Ancient Greek ἔλοψ (élops), variant of ἔλλοψ (éllops), referring to a kind of serpent or serpentlike sea fish.^[1] Compare the name of the unrelated family Elapidae.

Species

The currently recognized extant species in this genus are:^[1][4]

• Elops affinis Regan, 1909 (Pacific ladyfish)
• †Elops bultyncki Nolf, 2004
• †Elops eutawanus Schwarzhans et al., 2018
• Elops hawaiensis Regan, 1909 (Hawaiian ladyfish or giant herring)
• Elops lacerta Valenciennes, 1847 (West African ladyfish or Guinean ladyfish)
• Elops machnata (Forsskål, 1775) (tenpounder)
• †Elops miiformis Lin et al., 2016
• Elops saurus Linnaeus, 1766 (ladyfish)
• Elops senegalensis Regan, 1909 (Senegalese ladyfish)
• Elops smithi McBride, Rocha, Ruiz-Carus & Bowen, 2010 (malacho)^[5]

See also

• Tarpon