Table 3. 



FISHERY BULLETIN: VOL. 82, NO. 1 



-Proportions of head and body parts of Atlantic menhaden, Brevoortia tyrdnnus, expressed as a percent of 

 standard length. Characters were not developed at lengths marked with a dash. 



TABLE 4. — Number of myomeres relative to dorsal fin and anal locations on gulf menhaden, 



Brevoortia patronus, larvae. 



separating small larvae of these species. Yellowfin 

 menhaden had a mean of 45.7, about one less pre- 

 dorsal myomere, and about one to two more postanal 

 myomeres than gulf menhaden. Atlantic menhaden 

 had about two more preanal myomeres and about 

 one more postanal myomere than gulf menhaden at 

 each size class (Table 5). 



Meristics 



In gulf menhaden the caudal and dorsal fins were 

 the first fins to initiate development and the pectoral 



fins were the last fins to complete development, even 

 though they were the first fins to form as nonrayed 

 buds (Table 6, Fig. 1C). Two specimens had an extra 

 principal ray in both the upper and lower group of 

 caudal rays. Vertebrae centra did not first stain with 

 alcian blue as did other bony structures. At 13 mm, 

 vertebrae first stained with alizarin red S, with the 

 staining reaction progressing from the middle of the 

 column towards each end as length increased. The 

 neural and haemel spines initially stained blue, 

 beginning at each end of the column and progressing 

 towards the middle. The mean number of vertebrae, 



TABLE 5. — Number of myomeres relative to dorsal fin and anal locations on Atlantic men- 

 haden larvae, Brevoortia tyrannus. Myomeres on specimens <6 mm could not be 

 accurately counted. 



90 



