ELOPS HAWAIENSIS - (REGAN, 1909)
Picture courtesy of: Alain Daoulas
Actinopterygii (Gigaclass) > Actinopteri (Class) > Teleostei (Subclass) > Elopiformes (Order) > Elopidae (Family) > Elops (Genus)
Guinée saumon, Hawaiian giant herring, Giant herring, Chiro, Ladyfish, Tenpounder, Banana fish, Banana-fish, Pincushion-fish, Hawaiian ladyfish, Torres strait herring, Malacho salmón, Kara-iwashi, カライワシ, 당멸치, 夏威夷海鰱, Cá Cháo biển,
Synonymes
Elops australis (Regan, 1909)
Elops hawaiiensis (Regan, 1909)
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Description
Dorsal soft rays (total): 23-27 (usually: 24), with 18 branched rays; Anal soft rays: 14-18 (usually: 15-16), with 11-12 branched rays. Pectoral fin rays: 15-16; Pelvic fin rays: 12-13; Lateral line scales: 96-98; Vertebrae: 66-70; Brachiostegal rays: 20-25. Body elongate, fusiform, moderately compressed; Eye large; Mouth large, terminal, jaws approximately equal, upper jaw extending well beyond eye; A gular plate present between arms of lower jaw; Jaw teeth very small and granular. Scales very small. All fins without spines; Caudal fin large and forked; Pectoral fins low on side of body, near ventral outline; Ventral fins abdominal, below origin of dorsal fin. Max. length: 120.0 cm SL, common length: 50.0 cm SL. Max. published weight: 10.1 kg. Depth range: 1 - 30 m.
Couleur
Blue or greenish grey dorsally, silvery ventrally; Fins sometimes with a faint yellow tinge.
Etymology
Elops: a Greek word variously defined as meaning dumb, scaly, a fish (in general), and a large, rare and precious fish compared to, or even identified with, the sturgeon (often spelled helops); The application to this genus remains obscure, but considering that Linnaeus named Elops saurus based in part on a 1725 description (“all over scaly”) of what appears to be a lizardfish (Synodus), maybe the “scaly” explanation is the best fit.
hawaiensis: from Hawaiian Islands, type locality + from Latin suffix, -ensis = denoting place.
Original description: Elops hawaiensis Regan, 1909 - Type locality: Hawaiian Islands.
Distribution
Eastern Indian Ocean, western Pacific: Andaman Sea east to Hawaiian Islands and Tuamotu Archipelago, north to southern Korea and Japan, south to northwestern Australia, New South Wales (Australia) and New Caledonia.
Biology
A coastal fish, commonly entering lagoon, bays, and estuaries (including fishponds), particularly around mangroves. Sometimes enters freshwater streams, but does not penetrate very far inland. Benthopelagic. Younger fish often penetrate the lower freshwater reaches of rivers. An active swimmer, commonly traveling in schools in open water. Feeds on various fishes and crustaceans. Little detailed knowledge exists of its biology. Has a leptocephalus larva. Spawning takes place offshore and young larvae are found in the open sea, moving close to shore as they develop. Juveniles commonly found in salt marshes, canals, and tidal streams. Marketed fresh or frozen; In some places ground up as fish meal. A good sport fish on light tackle, striking a variety of artificial lures as well as live shrimp or baitfish. No separate statistics available.
Similar species
Elops machnata (Fabricius, 1775) - Reported from Red Sea; Indo-West Pacific: East Africa, South Africa, Persian Gulf, Seychelles, Madagascar and western Mascarenes (extinct in Réunion) east to Philippines; Possibly Hawaiian Islands. Differs in having less vertebrae: 60-66.
Last update: 27, May 2022
Actinopterygii (Gigaclass) > Actinopteri (Class) > Teleostei (Subclass) > Elopiformes (Order) > Elopidae (Family) > Elops (Genus)
Guinée saumon, Hawaiian giant herring, Giant herring, Chiro, Ladyfish, Tenpounder, Banana fish, Banana-fish, Pincushion-fish, Hawaiian ladyfish, Torres strait herring, Malacho salmón, Kara-iwashi, カライワシ, 당멸치, 夏威夷海鰱, Cá Cháo biển,
Synonymes
Elops australis (Regan, 1909)
Elops hawaiiensis (Regan, 1909)
----------------------
Description
Dorsal soft rays (total): 23-27 (usually: 24), with 18 branched rays; Anal soft rays: 14-18 (usually: 15-16), with 11-12 branched rays. Pectoral fin rays: 15-16; Pelvic fin rays: 12-13; Lateral line scales: 96-98; Vertebrae: 66-70; Brachiostegal rays: 20-25. Body elongate, fusiform, moderately compressed; Eye large; Mouth large, terminal, jaws approximately equal, upper jaw extending well beyond eye; A gular plate present between arms of lower jaw; Jaw teeth very small and granular. Scales very small. All fins without spines; Caudal fin large and forked; Pectoral fins low on side of body, near ventral outline; Ventral fins abdominal, below origin of dorsal fin. Max. length: 120.0 cm SL, common length: 50.0 cm SL. Max. published weight: 10.1 kg. Depth range: 1 - 30 m.
Couleur
Blue or greenish grey dorsally, silvery ventrally; Fins sometimes with a faint yellow tinge.
Etymology
Elops: a Greek word variously defined as meaning dumb, scaly, a fish (in general), and a large, rare and precious fish compared to, or even identified with, the sturgeon (often spelled helops); The application to this genus remains obscure, but considering that Linnaeus named Elops saurus based in part on a 1725 description (“all over scaly”) of what appears to be a lizardfish (Synodus), maybe the “scaly” explanation is the best fit.
hawaiensis: from Hawaiian Islands, type locality + from Latin suffix, -ensis = denoting place.
Original description: Elops hawaiensis Regan, 1909 - Type locality: Hawaiian Islands.
Distribution
Eastern Indian Ocean, western Pacific: Andaman Sea east to Hawaiian Islands and Tuamotu Archipelago, north to southern Korea and Japan, south to northwestern Australia, New South Wales (Australia) and New Caledonia.
Biology
A coastal fish, commonly entering lagoon, bays, and estuaries (including fishponds), particularly around mangroves. Sometimes enters freshwater streams, but does not penetrate very far inland. Benthopelagic. Younger fish often penetrate the lower freshwater reaches of rivers. An active swimmer, commonly traveling in schools in open water. Feeds on various fishes and crustaceans. Little detailed knowledge exists of its biology. Has a leptocephalus larva. Spawning takes place offshore and young larvae are found in the open sea, moving close to shore as they develop. Juveniles commonly found in salt marshes, canals, and tidal streams. Marketed fresh or frozen; In some places ground up as fish meal. A good sport fish on light tackle, striking a variety of artificial lures as well as live shrimp or baitfish. No separate statistics available.
Similar species
Elops machnata (Fabricius, 1775) - Reported from Red Sea; Indo-West Pacific: East Africa, South Africa, Persian Gulf, Seychelles, Madagascar and western Mascarenes (extinct in Réunion) east to Philippines; Possibly Hawaiian Islands. Differs in having less vertebrae: 60-66.
Last update: 27, May 2022