plain terapon
Mesopristes elongatus (Guichenot, 1866)
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
Mesopristes elongatus is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Terapontidae known by the common name plain terapon. It is endemic to Madagascar, where it occurs in several rivers along the eastern coast. Its populations are thought to be decreasing due to habitat loss and degradation, which is accelerated by the siltation caused by deforestation.
This is a freshwater fish that sometimes enters estuaries. It is caught for food, and may be sold in local markets.
Wikipedia contributors, Mesopristes elongatus; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T03:33:35.826089+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Mesopristes elongatus (Guichenot, 1866)
- Name authority
- (Guichenot, 1866)
- Common name
- plain terapon
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Centrarchiformes
- Family
- Terapontidae
- Genus
- Mesopristes
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: no · Freshwater: yes · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- orderCentrarchiformes
- familyTerapontidae Richardson, 1842
- genusMesopristes Bleeker, 1873
- speciesMesopristes elongatus (Guichenot, 1866)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Mesopristes. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Mesopristes iravi Yoshino, Yoshigou & Senou, 2002 | TerapontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Mesopristes kneri (Bleeker, 1876) | TerapontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Mesopristes argenteus (Cuvier, 1829) | TerapontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Mesopristes cancellatus (Cuvier, 1829) | TerapontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Terapon elongatus (Guichenot, 1866) (Guichenot, 1866) | synonym |
| Terapon lambertoni (Fowler, 1923) (Fowler, 1923) | synonym |
| Therapon obtusirostris (Guichenot, 1866) (Guichenot, 1866) | synonym |
| Datnia obtusirostris Guichenot, 1866 Guichenot, 1866 | synonym |
| Datnia elongata Guichenot, 1866 Guichenot, 1866 | synonym |
| Mesopristis elongatus (Guichenot, 1866) (Guichenot, 1866) | synonym |
| Therapon elongatus (Guichenot, 1866) (Guichenot, 1866) | synonym |
| Therapon lambertoni Fowler, 1923 Fowler, 1923 | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=218348 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:425GS. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.