Megalops atlanticus ';
General information
 
Megalops atlanticus (Valenciennes, 1847)
 
 
Common nameTarpon, Peixe-prata
Synonyms
-
IUCN Red List status (2014)
Vulnerable (VU)
Habitat
Saltwater and freshwater
Systematics
Eukaryota; Metazoa; Chordata; Craniata; Vertebrata; Euteleostomi; Actinopterygii; Neopterygii; Teleostei; Elopiformes; Megalopidae.
Geographical distribution
Angola; Nigeria; Cameroon; Ghana; Mauritania; Ivory Coast; Liberia; Senegal; Guinea; Sierra Leone; UK; France; Spain; Portugal; USA; Mexico; Canada; Brazil; Colombia; Venezuela; Guyana; Suriname; French Guiana; Panama; Cuba; Jamaica; Puerto Rico; Costa Rica; Nicaragua; Haiti; Dominican Republic; Guatemala; Honduras; Anguilla; Antigua and Barbuda; Aruba; Bahamas; Barbados; Belize; Bermuda; British Virgin Islands; Cayman Islands; Curaçao Island; Grenada; Guadeloupe; Martinique; Montserrat; Saint Kitts and Nevis; Saint Lucia; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; Trinidad and Tobago; Turks and Caicos Islands; Virgin Islands (USA); Benin; Cape Verde; Democratic Republic of the Congo; Republic of the Congo; Equatorial Guinea; Gabon; Gambia; Sao Tome and Principe; Togo
Occurrence Native: Angola, Nigeria, Cameroon, Ghana, Mauritania, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Senegal, Guinea, Sierra Leone, UK, France, Spain, Portugal, USA, Mexico, Canada, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Panama, Cuba, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Curaçao Island, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, Virgin Islands (USA), Benin, Cape Verde, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Gambia, Sao Tome and Principe, Togo
Importance
Remarks
No heteromorphic chromosomes evidenced.
Karyological information
Geographical area of study Brazilian Northeast coast, in the Rio Grande do Norte State.
Source of chromosomes
Kideny
Number of specimens with sex
5
Diploid chromosome number
50
Karyotype formula
50a
Fundamental arm number
50
Chromosome length
Sex chromosome
Chromosome staining/banding/FISH
Heterochromatic blocks occur mainly in centromeric regions of chromosome pairs (8, 10, 12), but also in terminal regions of some pairs (5, 7, 17). Ag-NORs interstitially located in the long arms of the smallest 25th pair, which are in agreement with the location of the 18S rDNA hybridization signals. 5S rDNA sites are located in short arms of chromosome pair 7. (TTAGGG)n probe hybridized exclusively on terminal regions of chromosomes.
Reference(s)
Soares RX, da Costa GWWF, Cioffi MB, Bertollo LAC, Motta-Neto CC, Molina WF (2021). Molecular cytogenetics insights in two pelagic big-game fishes, the tarpon, Megalops atlanticus (Elopiformes: Megalopidae), and the Atlantic sailfish, Istiophorus platypterus (Istiophoriformes: Istiophoridae). Neotrop Ichthyol., 19(2): e210007. https://doi.org/10.1590/1982-0224-2021-0007