Tropical gar

The tropical gar (Atractosteus tropicus) is a species of fish from Central America, where it is found in the Pacific and Atlantic drainages from southern Mexico to Costa Rica.^[4] In Central America it is known as gaspar and in Mexico it is known as pejelagarto, a contraction of the words "pez" (fish) and "lagarto" (alligator). This gar inhabits a wide range of fresh and brackish water habitats such as rivers, floodplains, lakes and pools, but avoids areas with a strong current.^[5] It reaches lengths of up to 1.25 m (4 ft) (although typically less than half that length) and a weight up to 2.9 kg (6.4 lb).^[4] The tropical gar looks very similar to the longnose gar in color and markings, but can be distinguished by its shorter, broader snout. The tropical gar's diet consists mainly of cichlids and other fish.

Tropical gar
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Clade:	Ginglymodi
Order:	Lepisosteiformes
Family:	Lepisosteidae
Genus:	Atractosteus
Species:	A. tropicus
Binomial name
Atractosteus tropicus T. N. Gill, 1863
Pacific coastal range in yellow (main range inland in river basins, as well as Caribbean coastal range, not shown)
Synonyms[2][3]
Lepisosteus tristoechus tropicus (Gill 1863) Lepisosteus tropicus (Gill 1863)  ?Atractosteus bocourti Duméril 1870

While gar are not widely eaten, there is a traditional Tabasco dish of the same name that uses chili, limes, and salt to cook the animal.

Conventional and X-ray images