PORT PHILLIP BAY


Hawaiian Giant Herring 

Elops hawaiensis Regan, 1909

View scientific description and taxonomy

Scientific Details

Meristics.
Dorsal fin spines/rays: 24
Anal fin spines/rays: 15-16
Caudal fin rays: 65
Pectoral fin rays: 17
Ventral fin spines/rays: 14
Lateral line: 88-98
Gill rakers: (lower limb) 13-14
Vertebrae: 66-70

Interpreting fin count meristics.
Spines are in Roman numerals and soft rays are in Arabic numerals. Spines and rays that are continuous in one fin are separated by a comma. Fin sections are separated by semicolons.

Detailed descriptions of fin count and other mersitics are in:
Gomon. M.F., Bray, D.J. & Kuiter, R.H. (eds) (2008) Fishes of Australia's Southern Coast. Sydney : Reed New Holland 928 pp.

Order level detail.
Medium to large slender fishes found in coastal marine, estuarine and freshwater environments, usually in tropical and subtropical waters. Elopiform fishes have well-developed gular plates, or extra bones in the throat between the lower jaws, that are only found in some primitive bony fishes. They have a single short-based dorsal fin on the middle of the back, abdominal pelvic fins, a strongly forked tail and adipose eyelids.

Family level detail.
Tenpounders and ladyfishes have long, cylindrical, silvery bodies, a single dorsal fin on the middle of the back and a strongly forked tail. Their leptocephalus larvae also have forked tails.

Taxonomy

Phylum:
Chordata
Subphylum:
Craniata
Superclass:
Gnathostomata
Class:
Actinopterygii
Order:
Elopiformes
Family:
Elopidae
Genus:
Elops
Species:
hawaiensis

General Description

Body long, slender, fusiform in shape, with a single short-based dorsal fin on the middle of the back, a forked tail, a large eye and a moderately large mouth. Silvery. To 1.2 m.

Biology

This species moves southwards with warmer currents during summer months, and juveniles often enter the lower freshwater reaches of rivers and streams.

Distribution guide

Indo-West Pacific and Australian waters. Very rare between Wilsons Promontory (Victoria) and Spencer Gulf (South Australia).

Species Group

Fishes › Giant herrings

Depth

Shore (0-1 m)
Shallow (1-30 m)
Deep ( > 30 m)

Max Size

1.2 m

Commercial Species

No

Global Dispersal

Recorded in Australia

Conservation Status

  • DSE Advisory List : Not listed
  • EPBC Act 1999 : Not listed
  • IUCN Red List : Not listed

Author

article author Bray, D.J.

Di Bray is a Senior Collection Manager of ichthyology at Museum Victoria.

Author

article author Gomon, M.F.

Dr. Martin Gomon is a Senior Curator of ichthyology at Museum Victoria.

citation

Cite this page as:
Bray, D.J. & Gomon, M.F., 2011, Hawaiian Giant Herring, Elops hawaiensis, in Taxonomic Toolkit for marine life of Port Phillip Bay, Museum Victoria, accessed 26 Nov 2024, http://136.154.202.208:8098/species/6300

Text: creative commons cc by licence