HAWAIIAN LADYFISH awa`aua
(Hawaiian Tarpon, Hawaiian Tenpounder)
Elops hawaiensis Regan, 1909
     I did not include this fish in all printings of Hawaii's Fishes, so I'm adding it here. It is similar to the bonefish, and might be confused with it. Both are slender, silvery fishes with a single dorsal fin that live over sand. However, ladyfishes have their mouths at the tip of the snout, whereas bonefishes have an underslung mouth. Seen at close range, ladyfishes have a golden tinge, especially about the gills. They usually rest in schools by day and probably disperse at night to feed. Ladyfishes are common inside the reef at Hanauma Bay, O`ahu but elsewhere are not often seen. They often enter brackish water. Most books list this species as endemic to Hawai`i. Recent studies, however, show it to occur as far west as the Andaman Islands in the eastern Indian. To 2 ft. Photo: Hanauma Bay, O`ahu. 3 ft.