DESCRIPTION OF EGGS AND LARVAE OF YELLOWFIN MENHADEN, 



BREVOORTIA SMITH I' 



Edward D. Houde- and L. J. Swanson, Jr.' 

 ABSTRACT 



Development of yellowfin menhaden, Brevoortia smithi, is described from eggs and larvae reared in the 

 laboratory. Eggs were collected during November 1972 in Biscayne Bay, Florida. Eight embryos and 66 

 larvae and juveniles ranging from 3.7 to 36.2 mm standard length were used to describe development. 

 Mean egg diameter was 1.27 mm, mean oil globule diameter was 0.15 mm, and mean yolk diameter was 

 1.07 mm. The perivitelline space averaged 16% of the egg diameter. Length at hatching was about 3.0 

 mm standard length. Larvae were fed on zooplankton and grew about 0.45 mm per day from the 4th 

 until the 20th day after hatching at 26°C. Morphology, meristics, osteology, and pigmentation are 

 described. Transformation from larvae to juveniles apparently was completed at 20 to 23 mm standard 

 length. During transformation full complements of fin rays were developed, the dorsal fin moved 

 forward, the gut shortened, and the anal fin moved forward. Yellowfin menhaden larvae have some 

 characteristics that serve to distinguish them from larvae of other clupeid genera occupying the same 

 geographic range, and also have some characters that may be helpful to distinguish them from other 

 species in the genus Brevoortia. 



The yellowfin menhaden, Brevoortia smithi 

 Hidelbrand, is one of four species of Brevoortia 

 that occur along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico 

 coasts of the United States. The biology and sys- 

 tematica of yellowfin menhaden were discussed in 

 detail by Hildebrand (1963) and most recently by 

 Dahlberg (1970). Dahlberg reported that B. smithi 

 occurs from North Carolina to Louisiana. Atlantic 

 and Gulf of Mexico populations exist, which ap- 

 parently are distinct, and the species is uncommon 

 south of West Palm Beach on the Florida Atlantic 

 coast and north of Tampa Bay on the Florida west 

 coast. Although common in parts of its range, 

 yellowfin menhaden are not abundant enough to 

 contribute substantially to commercial menhaden 

 catches (Dahlberg 1970). Reproducing populations 

 apparently are confined to coastal areas of the 

 United States, but Levi (1973) reported some 

 juveniles from the Bahamas. Hybrids of B. smithi 

 X B. tyrannus on the Atlantic coast and B. smithi 

 X B. patronus on the Gulf coast commonly occur 

 (Turner 1969; Dahlberg 1970). 



'This paper is a contribution from the Rosenstiel School of 

 Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, Miami, 

 FL3314?. , y , . 



■^Division of Biologv and Living Resources, Rosenstiel School of 

 Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, Miami, 

 PL 33149. 



'Division of Fisheries and Applied Estuarine Ecology, Rosen- 

 stiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of 

 Miami, Miami, FL 33149; present address: Conservation Consul- 

 tants, Inc., P.O. Box 35, Palmetto, FL 33561. 



Reintjes (1962) artificially fertilized eggs of 

 yellowfin menhaden from Indian River, Fla. He 

 presented a series of photographs and described 

 developing embryos and yolk-sac larvae. Hybrid 

 embryos and yolk-sac larvae of yellowfin 

 menhaden and Gulf menhaden, B. patronus, were 

 produced artificially (Hettler 1968), and pho- 

 tographs of these embryos and larvae were 

 published. More recently, Hettler (1970a) reared 

 some yellowfin menhaden larvae from artificially 

 fertilized eggs to 14.9 mm. He illustrated larvae of 

 7.6 and 11.9 mm total length (TL). Despite the 

 literature on yellowfin menhaden development, no 

 complete series from egg through transformation 

 of larvae to the juvenile stage is available, nor 

 have detailed illustrations been published that 

 would be helpful to distinguish yellowfin 

 menhaden from other similar clupeid larvae. We 

 have reared yellowfin menhaden from naturally 

 spawned planktonic eggs to advanced juveniles 

 and we describe development of these stages in 

 this paper. 



Eggs and larvae of other Brevoortia species 

 have been described, but only those of the Atlantic 

 menhaden, Brevoortia tyrannus, are well known. 

 Mansueti and Hardy (1967) have reviewed 

 published information on Atlantic menhaden 

 development. Suttkus (1956) described larvae of 

 Gulf menhaden 18.9 mm and longer, but smaller 

 specimens are undescribed. The eggs and larvae of 

 finescale menhaden, Brevoortia gunteri, have not 



Manuscript accepted September 1974. 

 FISHERY BULLETIN: VOL. 73, NO. 3, 1975. 



660 



