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Elopiformes

Order of fishes

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The Elopiformes /ˈɛləpɪfɔːrmz/ are the order of ray-finned fish including the tarpons, tenpounders, and ladyfish, as well as a number of extinct types. They have a long fossil record, easily distinguished from other fishes by the presence of an additional set of bones in the throat.

They are related to the order of eels, although the adults superficially resemble very large or giant herrings in appearance. The larvae, however, are leptocephalic, looking very similar to those of eels.

01Classification

Although many fossil forms are known, the order is relatively small today, containing just two genera and nine species:

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Sources and credits

This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article Elopiformes, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.

Images, from Wikimedia Commons:

  • Tarpon.jpg by Van Doren, Louis Otis; Clarke, Samuel C.; Kenworthy, Charles James, Public domain

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