The malacho or Southern ladyfish, (''Elops smithi'') is a species of

ray-finned fish Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fishes, is a class of bony fish. They comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species. The ray-finned fishes are so called because their fins are webs of skin supported by bony or hor ...

in the genus ''Elops'', the only genus in the

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispec ...

family Elopidae.

Description

''Elops smithi'' like other species in its genus, has a long, slender, round body covered with silvery scales. The mouth is terminal and the tail is deeply forked. Identification of all seven ''Elops'' species requires counting the number of gillrakers and vertebrae.McBride, Richard S., Rocha, Claudia R., Ruiz-Carus, Ramon, Bowen, Brian W. 2010. A new species of ladyfish, of the genus ''Elops'' (Elopiformes: Elopidae), from the western Atlantic Ocean. Zootaxa. 2346: 29-41. http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/2010/f/zt02346p041.pdf

Distribution

''Elops smithi'' is distributed in the western South Atlantic Ocean from as far south as Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to the Caribbean Sea, Bahamas, and the southwestern Gulf of Mexico.McBride, Richard S., Horodysky, Andrij Z. 2004. Mechanisms maintaining sympatric distributions of two ladyfish (Elopidae : ''Elops'') morphs in the Gulf of Mexico and western North Atlantic Ocean. Limnology and Oceanography. 49(4): 1173-1181 Leptocephali and juveniles are also collected along the eastern seaboard of North America, the northern and eastern Gulf of Mexico, and Bermuda, but these represent waifs or vagrants, and do not support a population of adults. Its distribution overlaps with the ladyfish ('' Elops saurus'') in the southeast US and the southern Gulf of Mexico.

Biology

Like other members of Elopidae, ''E. smithi'' is a

pelagic The pelagic zone consists of the water column of the open ocean, and can be further divided into regions by depth (as illustrated on the right). The word ''pelagic'' is derived . The pelagic zone can be thought of as an imaginary cylinder or wa ...

fish that spawns in the sea, but little is known about this marine phase. The larvae, which are transparent and laterally compressed, are dispersed inshore and enter embayments, where they reside 2–3 yr before moving offshore.Carles, C. A. 1967. Datos sobre la biología del banana ''Elops saurus'' Linnaeus (Teleosti: Elopidae). Instituto Nacional De La Pesca Cuba. 27: 1-53Santos-Martínez, A. and Arboleda, S. 1993. Aspectos biológicos y ecológicos del macabi ''Elops saurus'' Linnaeus (Pisces: Elopidae) en la Cienaga Grande de Santa Marta y costa adyacente, Caribe Colombiano. Anales del Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas de Punta de Betín. 22: 77-96 The juveniles are euryhaline, or tolerant to a wide range of salinity, so these embayments may be low-salinity estuaries or hyper-saline lagoons. Subadults move into the lower reaches of the embayments, eventually leaving in association with maturation for offshore, marine habitats. Diets in the Caribbean region are dominated by engraulidids fish and penaeids shrimp.

Fishery

Malacho were used as bait in commercial fisheries in Cuba. In the southeast U.S., the malacho is a small (< 1-2%) but unrecognized component of the commercial and recreational catch. Recreational landings occurring in Puerto Rico should be attributed to ''Elops smithi'' where this species is considered a popular sportfish. This species is likely caught in subsistence fisheries elsewhere in its range.

Threats

''Elops'' species use estuarine areas and hypersaline lagoons; changes in the quality of these habitats may affect this genus' population dynamics. Although not closely associated with any single habitat, it may be adversely affected by development and urbanization.Adams, A. J., Horodysky, A. Z., McBride, R. S., Guindon, K., Shenker, J., MacDonald, T. C., Harwell, H. D., Ward, R., and Carpenter, K. Global conservation status and research needs for tarpons (Megalopidae), ladyfishes (Elopidae) and bonefishes (Albulidae). Fish and Fisheries (online, early view as of 2013). http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/faf.12017/abstract

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5300131 Elopidae Fish of the Caribbean Fish of the Western Atlantic Fish described in 2010