Banana Fsh

Elops hawaiensis

Fish
IUCN: Data deficient

Usual depth0–114 m
Water temperature16–29 °C
Best monthsMay, June, and October
How commonRare

Photo credit: (c) Chris Sulots, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist

About this species

The Hawaiian ladyfish, also known as the Hawaiian tenpounder or banana fish, is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Elopidae. It is sometimes referred to as the giant herring, though it is not closely related to the true herrings of the family Clupeidae. Its Hawaiian name is awa 'aua. It is native to the west central Pacific Ocean, and the current classification may in fact consist of several species.

Text from the Wikipedia article “Elops hawaiensis”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article

Where and when

Where it has been recorded

Worldwide

Loading the map

Best months

Worldwide (open data)

January: 9 records
February: 6 records
March: 13 records
April: 13 records
May: 23 records
June: 22 records
July: 14 records
August: 9 records
September: 15 records
October: 22 records
November: 3 records
December: 8 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 0–114 m · Deepest record: 114 m

0–10 m: 5 records
10–20 m: 0 records
20–30 m: 0 records
30–40 m: 0 records
40–50 m: 0 records
50–60 m: 0 records
60–70 m: 0 records
70–80 m: 0 records
80–90 m: 0 records
90–100 m: 0 records
100–110 m: 0 records
110–120 m: 2 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 16–29 °C

14–16 °C: 4 records
16–18 °C: 2 records
18–20 °C: 11 records
20–22 °C: 11 records
22–24 °C: 15 records
24–26 °C: 27 records
26–28 °C: 12 records
28–30 °C: 13 records

Photos

Names and classification

English: Banana Fsh, Chiro, giant herring, great herring, Hawaiian Giant Herring, Hawaiian ladyfish, Hawaiian Tarpon, Hawaiian Tenpounder, Ladyfish, Pincushionfish, tenpounder, Torres Strait Herring

Names in 6 more languages

Spanish: Malacho salmón
Filipino: Bid-bid, Bidbid, Bidbir, Mid-bid
French: Guinée saumon
Japanese: Kara-iwashi, Karaiwashi, カライワシ
Korean: 당멸치
Simplified Chinese: 夏威夷海鰱, 夏威夷海鲢

Other scientific names: Elops australis, Elops hawaiiensis

Sources and credits

Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).

Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
285 open-data records from 1915 to 2023.
Species data updated October 26, 2026.

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