File:Tarpon Megalops atlanticus.gif

Summary

Common Name: Atlantic Tarpon

Scientific Name: Megalops atlanticus Valenciennes in Cuvier and Valenciennes, 1847

Species Description: Tarpon (Megalops atlanticus) are large, deep-bodied fish commonly found in coastal and inshore waterways. Body color on the dorsal surface is generally dark blue or green to black, The sides and ventral surface are silver. Pelvic fins are abdominal, the caudal fin is deeply forked, and the single dorsal fin is short with a long, filamentous terminal fin ray. The scales of this species are large and cycloid, with 40-48 lateral scale lines. The mouth is large, with a protruding lower jaw. Members of the family Elopidae have pronounced gular plates that span the lower jaw bones on the underside of the head.

Source: https://www.irlspecies.org/imagelib/imgdetails.php?imgid=1276

Caption: The Tarpon, Megalops atlanticus. Illustration by Diana Rome Peebles 1998. Courtesy of Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Division of Marine Fisheries.