Revised 6 Nov. 2023
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Megalops Lacepède 1803 mégas (Gr. μέγας), big; ṓps (Gr. ὦψ), eye, referring to large eye of M. filamentosus (=cyprinoides)

Megalops atlanticus Valenciennes 1847 –icus (L.), belonging to: referring to its distribution in the tropical Atlantic

Megalops cyprinoides (Broussonet 1782) -oides, Neo-Latin from eí̄dos (Gr. εἶδος), form or shape: cyprinus, from kyprín̄os (Gr. κυπρῖνος), carp, allusion not explained; since Broussonet placed it in the herring genus Clupea, perhaps he was referring to what could be perceived as its more carp-like rather than herring-like form or appearance