Fishes of the Western North Atlantic 165 



12 b. Depth of body i5-i8''/o of SL; pectoral fin 1 2.5-1 3.7 "/o 



of SL; gill rakers very slender, close-set, often difficult to 



count. cubana (Poey) 1868, p. 188. 



lib. Gill rakers on lower limb usually 16-22 (rarely 23 in h. hepsetus), 



on upper limb usually 14—20 (rarely 13 or 21). 



i6a. Depth ofbody 1 7.4-1 8.8 "/o of SL; maxillary bluntly pointed 



distally, its upper margin rounded, extending to joint of 



mandible, 17.2— 18.2 "/o of SL; vertebrae 44 or 45. 



ginsburgi Hildebrand 1943, p. 190. 

 i6b. Depth of body i8.5-23*'/o of SL; maxillary usually sharply 

 pointed distally, generally extending beyond joint of man- 

 dible, sometimes to or nearly to margin of opercle (mod- 

 erately short, rather blunt distally, and rounded above in 

 lamprotaenia), 1 9-24.5 "/„ of SL; vertebrae 39—43 {h. hep- 

 setus sometimes with 44). 



17 a. Longest rays of dorsal fin usually reaching well 

 beyond tip of last ray when deflexed; origin of anal 

 about under beginning of posterior third of dorsal 

 base; axillary scale of pectoral only a little more than 

 half of length of fin, 3.0—3.6 in head; cheek fully as 

 long as eye and half of snout. 



lamprotaenia Hildebrand 1943, p. 192. 

 1 7 b. Longest rays of dorsal fin failing to reach tip of last 

 ray when deflexed; origin of anal usually about under 

 middle of dorsal base, sometimes posterior to middle ; 

 axillary scale of pectoral 2.0—2.5 in head; cheek usually 

 not much longer than eye. 



hepsetus (Linnaeus) 1758, p. 194. 

 I 8 a. Pectoral fin often failing to reach base of pelvic 

 by diameter of eye; silvery lateral band usually 

 75''/o of width of eye. 



h. hepsetus Hildebrand 1943, p. 194. 



1 8 b. Pectoral fin frequently extending to or nearly to base 



of pelvic; silvery lateral band often scarcely wider 



than pupil, h. colonensis Hildebrand 1 943, p. 1 94. 



lob. Origin of anal under or behind base of last dorsal ray; depth of head 



at joint of mandible equal to postorbital length; snout scarcely shorter 



than eye, 4.3-5.5 in head; cheek about as long as snout and eye 



combined; silvery lateral band as broad as eye. 



lyolepis (Evermann and Marsh) 1902, p. 200. 



9b. Pectoral with a long filamentous ray; origin of dorsal fin usually nearer to 



tip of snout than to base of caudal. filifera (Fowler) 191 5, p. 202. 



