Megalops atlanticus, Tarpon : fisheries, aquaculture, gamefish, aquarium

Megalops atlanticus Valenciennes, 1847

Tarpon
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Megalops atlanticus   AquaMaps   Data sources: GBIF OBIS
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Megalops atlanticus
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Classification / Noms Noms communs | Synonymes | Catalog of Fishes(Genre, Espèce) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

> Elopiformes (Tarpons and tenpounders) > Megalopidae (Tarpons)
Etymology: Megalops: Greek, megas, megalos = great + Greek, ops = appearance (Ref. 45335).
More on author: Valenciennes.

Environnement : milieu / zone climatique / profondeur / gamme de distribution Écologie

marin; eau douce; saumâtre récifal; anadrome (Ref. 126106); profondeur 0 - 40 m (Ref. 3789), usually 0 - 15 m (Ref. 42064). Subtropical; 10°C - 40°C (Ref. 93687); 49°N - 44°S, 99°W - 14°E (Ref. 55254)

Distribution Territoires | Zones FAO | Écosystèmes | Occurrences | Carte par point | Introductions | Faunafri

Atlantic Ocean: from Nova Scotia, Bermuda and southward to Brazil in western Atlantic Ocean (Ref. 3234, 4446), where it it also found throughout the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean (Ref. 26938); from Mauritania to Angola in eastern Atlantic Ocean (Ref. 2845, 3234, 4446, 81266); with exceptional records in Portugal, Azores and Atlantic coast of southern France (Ref. 3234, 4446). Crossed the Panama canal and was caught at Coiba Island in the Pacific Ocean (Ref. 4446).

Longueur à la première maturité / Taille / Poids / Âge

Maturité: Lm 160.0, range 130 - 128.5 cm
Max length : 250 cm TL mâle / non sexé; (Ref. 2683); common length : 130 cm TL mâle / non sexé; (Ref. 2683); poids max. publié: 161.0 kg (Ref. 26340); âge max. reporté: 55 années (Ref. 9975)

Description synthétique Clés d'identification | Morphologie | Morphométrie

Épines dorsales (Total) : 0; Rayons mous dorsaux (Total) : 13 - 16; Épines anales: 0; Rayons mous anaux: 22 - 25; Vertèbres: 53 - 57. Diagnosis: It is characterized by the anterior position of pelvic fin insertions in relation to dorsal-fin origin, and by some morphometric counts: 13-16 dorsal-fin rays, 40-48 lateral-line scales and 53-57 vertebrae (Ref. 2845, 81266).
Body shape (shape guide): fusiform / normal; Cross section: compressed.

Biologie     Glossaire (ex. epibenthic)

Obligate air-breathing (Ref. 126274); Inhabit coastal waters, bays, estuaries, mangrove-lined lagoons, and rivers (Ref. 3789, 27188). Often found in river mouths and bays, entering fresh water (Ref. 27227). Lower depth limit at 40m (Ref. 118621). Large schools may frequent particular spots for years (Ref. 9710). Feed on fishes like sardines, anchovies, Mugilidae, Centropomus, Cichlidae (mainly those forming schools) and crabs (Ref. 3789, 27188). The swim bladder, attached to the esophagus, can be filled directly with air and permits the fish to live in oxygen-poor waters. Has high fecundity, a 203 cm female is estimated to produce over 12 million eggs (Ref. 10863). Spawn in waters which can be temporarily isolated from the open sea (Ref. 27188). Transparent leptocephalus larvae migrate into estuaries (Ref. 57533). Famous for its spectacular leaps when hooked. Marketed fresh or salted (Ref. 3789). Large scales are used in ornamental work and in preparation of artificial pearls (Ref. 3789). Used to be cultured commercially in Colombia (Ref. 7306). Highly appreciated by sport fishers. The flesh is also highly appreciated despite its being bony (Ref. 27188). The world record for hook and line is 283 lbs. from Lake Maricaibo, Venezuela (Ref. 13442).

Cycle de vie et comportement reproducteur Maturité | Reproduction | Frai | Œufs | Fécondité | Larves

Some populations may complete life cycle in freshwater, e.g. Lake Nicaragua in Central America, and Deep Lake in Florida (Ref. 4639).

Référence principale Téléchargez vos références | Références | Coordinateur | Collaborateurs

Hureau, J.-C., 1984. Megalopidae. p. 226-227. In P.J.P. Whitehead, M.-L. Bauchot, J.-C. Hureau, J. Nielsen and E. Tortonese (eds.) Fishes of the north-eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean. UNESCO, Paris. Vol. 1. (Ref. 3234)

Statut dans la liste rouge de l'IUCN (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-2 (Global))

  Vulnérable (VU) (A2bd); Date assessed: 12 June 2018

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Menace pour l'homme

  Reports of ciguatera poisoning (Ref. 31172)





Utilisations par l'homme

Pêcheries: commercial; Aquaculture: commercial; pêche sportive: oui; Aquarium: Aquariums publics
FAO - pêcheries: landings search; Publication: search | FishSource | Sea Around Us

Plus d'informations

Écologie trophique
Aliments (proies)
Composition du régime alimentaire
Consommation alimentaire
Rations alimentaires
Prédateurs
Écologie
Écologie
Cycle de vie
Reproduction
Maturité
Maturité/épines rel.
Fécondité
Frai
Agrégats de frai
Œufs
Développement de l'œuf
Larves
Dynamique des populations larvaires
Anatomie
Surface branchiale
Cerveau
Otolithe
Physiologie
Composition corporelle
Nutriments
Consommation d'oxygène
Type de natation
Vitesse de nage
Pigments visuels
Son de poisson
Maladies et parasites
Toxicité (CL50)
Génétique
génôme
Génétique
Hétérozygotie
Héritabilité
Diversité génétique
Liées à l'homme
Systèmes d'aquaculture
Profils d'aquaculture
Souches
Cas de ciguatera
Timbres, pièces de monnaie, divers
Sensibilisation
Collaborateurs
Références
Références

Outils

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Sources Internet

Estimations basées sur des modèles

Indice de diversité phylogénétique
(Réf. 82804)
PD50 = 1.0020 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight a=0.01023 (0.00421 - 0.02490), b=3.02 (2.80 - 3.24), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref. 93245).
Niveau trophique
(Réf. 69278)
4.5   ±0.0 se; based on diet studies.
Résilience
(Réf. 120179)
Faible, temps minimum de doublement de population : 4,5 à 14 années (K=0.07-0.10; tmax=55; Fec>1 million).
Rate of population increase Prior r = 0.34, 95% CL = 0.22 - 0.51, Based on 1 data-limited stock assessment.
Vulnérabilité de la pêche
(Ref. 59153)
Very high vulnerability (76 of 100). 🛈
Vulnérabilité climatique
(Ref. 125649)
High to very high vulnerability (67 of 100). 🛈
Catégorie de prix
(Ref. 80766)
Medium.
Nutriments
(Ref. 124155)
Calcium = 8.83 [4.70, 21.29] mg/100g; Iron = 0.421 [0.226, 0.795] mg/100g; Protein = 19.5 [16.7, 22.0] %; Omega3 = 0.21 [0.11, 0.40] g/100g; Selenium = 21.2 [9.5, 44.3] μg/100g; VitaminA = 33 [9, 118] μg/100g; Zinc = 0.458 [0.310, 0.701] mg/100g (wet weight);