Megalopidae Jordan & Gilbert 1883

Angulo, Arturo, Betts, Joel T., González-Alemán, Néstor J., Castañeda, Edgar, Berghe, Eric Van Den, Elías, Diego J., Mcmahan, Caleb D. & Matamoros, Wilfredo A., 2023, Continental fishes of Nicaragua: diversity, distribution and conservation status; with an annotated and illustrated checklist of species and an identification guide to families, Zootaxa 5376 (1), pp. 1-89 : 13

Family Megalopidae Jordan & Gilbert 1883 ( Fig. 2G ). Tarpons; Sábalos, Tarpones

Description: Body oblong but elongate, strongly compressed; head short, deep, with the profile straight above and convex below; up to 240 cm in length; mouth large, oblique, opening above, lower jaw projecting; scales very large, smooth; a single dorsal fin, with 13–21 rays, the last ray elongated; pelvic-fin rays 10 or 11; anal-fin rays usually 22–29; caudal fin strongly forked; silvery in color ( Robertson & Allen 2015, Nelson et al. 2016). Distribution: Mainly marine but enters freshwaters; tropical and subtropical oceans (Nelson et al. 2016). One genus and one species in Nicaraguan freshwaters.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Families of continental fishes of Nicaragua, part 1; Carcharhinidae (A), Pristidae (B), Dasyatidae (C), Potamotrygonidae (D), Lepisosteidae (E), Elopidae (F), Megalopidae (G), Ophichthidae (H), Anguillidae (I), Engraulidae (J), Pristigasteridae (K), Dorosomatidae (L) and Cyprinidae (M). Illustrations adapted (with permission) from Nelson et al. (2016) and Angulo et al. (2021).