Species: Elops smithi, Malacho Ladyfish, Southern Ladyfish
Elops smithi Mcbride et al, 2010
Southern Ladyfish
Body long and slender, fusiform, oval in cross section; large eye; mouth long, opens at front or low jaw slightly shorter; teeth small and granular; with an elongate bony plate between lower jaws; gill rakers 8-9 +13-15; 75-78 (73-80) vertebrae; fins without spines; 1 dorsal fin, 21-25 principal rays, upper margin concave; anal 14-17 principal rays; anal fin base slightly shorter than dorsal fin base; pectoral fins very low on side; pelvic fins 10-16, at middle of belly, under or slightly in front of level of origin of dorsal fin; tail fin deeply forked; lateral line is straight and complete; scales small, about 102-118 in lateral line.
Silvery, with bluish to greenish tones above; fins sometimes with a yellow tint.
Size: reaches about 91 cm.
Estuaries and hypersaline lagoons, and shallow inshore waters, particularly in bays, lagoons, and mangrove areas; mature adults further offshore.
Depth: 0-50 m.
New England to Brazil; uncommon to rare in the Gulf of Mexico and E US.
Note: Externally (fin ray counts, scale counts, gill raker counts, body proportions,) indistinguishable from E. saurus; the 2 species can be distinguished genetically, and by the number of vertebrae they have: 81-85 (79-87) in E. saurus, 75-78 (73-80) in E. smithi; apparent differences in lateral line scale counts are related to the latitude where larva developed, not where they were spawned. Larvae of E. smithi that drift north of the Caribbean and establish within the range of E. saurus die out within a year or so of their arrival (see McBride et al 2010).
High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
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- Marine
- Brackish
- Inshore/Offshore
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- Inshore
- Inshore Only
- Water Column Position
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- Bottom
- Bottom + water column
- Near Bottom
- Habitat
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- Estuary
- Beach
- Sand & gravel
- Mud
- Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
- Water column
- Submerged vegetation
- FishBase Habitat
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- Reef Associated
- Feeding Group
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- Carnivore
- Data
- Diet
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- Insects
- Data
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Octopus/squid/cuttlefish
- Bony fishes
- Egg Type
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- Data
- Pelagic
- Pelagic larva
- Global Endemism
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- All species.
- West Atlantic Endemic
- Greater Caribbean non-endemic
- Regional Endemism
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- GC non-endemic
- Also in Brazil
- Continent
- Island (s)
- All species..
- Continent + Island (s)
- Extends South of GC
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
- Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
- Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
- IUCN Red List
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- Listed
- Data deficient
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 91
- Depth Range Min
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- 0
- Depth Range Max
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- 50
