Tenpounder (Elops machnata) is a saltwater, brackish species recorded in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia.
Scientific name: Elops machnata · Water: Saltwater, Brackish
Size: up to 118 cm
The tenpounder is an elopid of coastal waters that also enters lagoons and estuaries, though freshwater records still need confirming. It is benthopelagic, and both young and adults feed on small fishes and crustaceans; it probably spawns at sea, with the transparent larvae migrating inshore and often turning up in brackish water. It is a voracious carnivore that takes fish, squid and shrimp bait. Commonly about 50 cm and up to 118 cm fork length, with a further report of 126 cm from Knysna in South Africa. Edible, but not tasty and full of bones. Fishing vulnerability 65 out of 100.
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