Conservation status of tarpon Megalops atlanticus (Actinopterygii: Megalopidae): a systematic review between 2010 and 2019

Abstract

The tarpon Megalops atlanticus (Valenciennes, 1847) is widely distributed in tropical and
subtropical waters. Due to overexploitation, they are included in Brazilian list of threatened species.
Was conducted a bibliographic survey to analyze the studies on M. atlanticus on an attempt to
identify the knowledgement gaps, as well as to propose measures that help in the conservation process
for this species. The selection of articles was made through the Prisma protocol (Preferred
Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyzes). The “advanced search” mechanism
was used in Science Direct, Google Scholar, Scopus, and Scielo databases by the keyword “Megalops
atlanticus”. The several articles were divided into three sections: population dynamics, conservation,
and exploitation. Furthermore, were recorded the location and habitat for each study. Twentyfive
articles were selected, most of them published in 2018, distributed throughout the American
continent, with only one work from the Brazilian territory. Brazil does not have effective monitoring
of M. atlanticus overexploitation, showing that the implementation of monitoring programs is required.
Even with recognized vulnerability, there are still few studies from Brazil. Studies on species
biology are necessary to assist its conservation, thus, the results presented may stimulate future
research in Brazilian territory, contributing to the preservation of this species.

Keywords: population dynamics, management, Megalopidae.