07-26-2004, 03:15 PM
![[Image: ladyfish.jpg]](http://i.timeinc.net/fieldstream/images_small/ladyfish.jpg)
LADYFISHLadyfish are members of the small Elopidae family that occur worldwide and are related to tarpon. They are also known as tenpounders, and are similar in appearance to tarpon, though far smaller. Ladyfish are excellent light tackle sportfish that are commonly found in schools prowling shallow nearshore and brackish waters, and known for their habit of skipping along the water and jumping energetically when hooked. They are fished commercially in some parts of their range, though a plentitude of bones discourages human consumption; most commercial captures are used as fish meal and most angler captures are released.
There are at least six species of ladyfish in the genus Elops, all of which are similar in common size, behavior, and characteristics. In the western Atlantic, the ladyfish, E. saurus, ranges from Cape Cod and Bermuda to the northern Gulf of Mexico and southern Brazil, though it is most common in Florida and the Caribbean. It is also known as tenpounder, ubarana in Portuguese, and malacho in Spanish.
In the eastern Atlantic, two species are found off the African continent and are often
with each other. These are the West African ladyfish, E. lacerta, which occurs from Senegal to Angola and is also known as the Atlantic ladyfish, ninebone, and Guinean ladyfish, and the Senegalese ladyfish, E. senegalensis, which occurs from Mauritania to Zaire and is also known as ninebone. In the eastern Pacific, the Pacific ladyfish, E. affinis, occurs from southern California to Peru, though it is rare in northern Baja California. It is also known as machete, and as chiro and malacho del Pacifico in Spanish.
The Hawaiian ladyfish, E. hawaiensis, occurs throughout the westcentral Pacific and is known as awu’awu in Hawaiian. In the Indo-west Pacific, the tenpounder or springer, E. machnata, occurs from South Africa to the Red Sea and eastward to India and the western Pacific, and is reported from New Caledonia and Taiwan.
Identification. Ladyfish have an elongated slender silvery body with blue-green back and small scales. They look very much like a juvenile tarpon, although they can be distinguished from tarpon by the lack of an elongated last ray on the dorsal fin. Their head is small and pointed, the mouth is terminal, and the tail is deeply forked.
Size. Some species of ladyfish may reach weights from 15 pounds to 24 pounds and a length of 3 feet; such specimens are very rare and in general these fish are most commonly 2 to 3 pounds. The all-tackle world record is 6 pounds for E. saurus, 13 pounds for E. senegalensis, and 23 pounds 12 ounces for E. machnata.
Habitat. Ladyfish are inshore species that are found in bays and estuaries, lagoons, mangrove areas, tidal pools, and canals, and occasionally enter freshwater. They are rarely found on coral reefs.
Life History. These fish form large schools close to shore, although they are known to spawn offshore, their ribbon-like larvae being very similar to that of bonefish and tarpon.
Food and Feeding Habits. Adults feed predominantly on fish and crustaceans. Ladyfish schools are often seen pursuing bait at the surface.
[signature]
