Fishes of the Western North Atlantic 371 



The differences in shape and depth of body, already mentioned, are more out- 

 standing in young adults than in mature individuals. In fact, the depth in patronus is 

 already about as great in fish 40—60 mm TL as in large ones; in examples oi tyrannus 

 of similar size the body is notably more slender; for example, in 34 specimens oi patronus 

 falling within the range mentioned, the depth is 36.4-45.0 "/„ of SL, whereas in 

 60 examples oi tyrannus the range is 25.8—35.8. 



Variation. It is not evident at present that specimens vary between different areas, 

 as in those from Florida at one extreme of the range and those from Texas at the other. 

 Sufficient specimens for a thorough study of variation are at hand from Texas only. 

 The young, as stated elsewhere, acquire the shape of the adult very early in life, and 

 the pronounced variation in depth of body is therefore an individual variation rather 

 than one of age. There is also considerable variation in the number and intensity of 

 the dark spots on the side, with some specimens, including large ones, having only 

 a shoulder spot (p. 367). 



Commercial Importance. Commercial utilization oi patronus is a recent development. 

 Statistics at hand show for 1940 a catch of menhaden for Mississippi only, this being 

 25,194,000 pounds. For 1950— 1953, however, the following catches (probably /)a/ro- 

 nus for the most part but including some guntert) were reported for the Gulf coast 

 (in pounds): 326,030,100 for 1950, 351,965,100 for 1951, 459,983,900 for 1952, 

 and 437,045,000 pounds, valued at $5,189,000, for 1953. 



Range. Gulf coast of Florida to Texas. It was recorded once for as far south on 

 the western Florida coast as Tampa i^^^: 21 i), but at present there are no specimens 

 in the National Museum collection from farther south than Apalachicola, Florida. 

 There are many from as far west and south as Corpus Christi, and the types (USNM 

 892) are from Brazos Santiago, Texas. 



Synonyms and References: 



Brevoortia patronus Goode, Proc. U. S. nat. Mus., j, 1879: 39 (orig. descr.; "descr." based on specimens from 



Brazos Santiago, Texas [USNM 892]; "diagnosis" based in part on specimens from "Mouth of Rio 



Grande" [USNM 891], which are B.gunteri\ "table of measurements" includes both species); Goode, 



Rep. U.S. Comm. Fish. (1877), 1879: 26 (after Goode, 1879); Jordan and Gilbert, Bull. U.S. nat. 



Mus., 16, 1882: 269 (descr., may be based in part on B. guntert); Goode in Goode et al.. Fish. Fish. 



Industr. U. S., i (3), 1884: 575, pi. 206 (movements, parasites, reprod., food); Richardson, Bull. U. S. 



nat. Mus., 54, 1905: 21 (isopod parasite); Jordan, Evermann, and Clark, Rep. U.S. Comm. Fish. (1928), 



2, 1930: 44 (range, synon.); Gunter, Ecol. Monogr., 5, 1938: 355 (season, var. in abund., Louisiana); 



Hildebrand, Smithson. misc. CoU., lOJ (18), 1948: 13, fig. 3 (synon., relation., descr., range). 

 Brevoortia tyrannus patronus Evermann and Kendall, Bull. U. S. Fish Comm. (1892), 12, 1894: 105, pi. 21 



(Galveston, Texas; differences between Atlantic and Gulf specimens slight); Evermann, Rep. U.S. 



Comm. Fish. (1898), 1899: 309 (many young at Grand Plains Bayou, Mississippi); Weymouth, Proc. 



U. S. nat. Mus., j5, 191 1: 136 (Cameron, Louisiana); Fowler, Monogr. Acad. nat. Sci. Philad., 7, 



1945: 365, 372 (refs., occur.). 

 Brevoortia tyrannus Henshall (not of Latrobe), Bull. U. S. Fish Comm. (l 894), l^, 1 895 : 2 1 1 (Tampa, Florida) ; 



Evermann and Kendall, Proc. U. S. nat. Mus., JJ, 1906: 74 (synon., discus, lit. on fir^poor/z^; cf. 



specimens from various locals.; descr. of two from Argentina); Bere, Amer. Midi. Nat., 17 (3), 1936: 



582, 598 (copepods); Gunter, Publ. Inst. mar. Sci. Texas, I (i), 1945: 29 (Texas coast habitat). 



