42 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol. 99 



Genus ANCHOA Jordan and Evermann 



Anchoa Jordan and Evermann, Proc. California Acad. Sci., ser. 4, vol. 16, No. 15, 

 p. 501, 1927. (Genotype, Engraulis compressus Girard.) 



KEY TO THE SPECIES OF ANCHOA REPORTED FROM VENEZUELA " 



la. Anal fin with iii, 14 to iii, 22 rays. 



2a. Gill rakers on lower limb usually 16 to 26, and upper limb 13 to 21. 



3a. Origin of anal under middle or a little behind middle of base of dorsal 

 fin; cheek short and broad, usually not much longer than eye; depth 

 about 5.0 to 5.75 and postorbital length of head 6.3 to 6.9, both in 

 standard length; maxillary short, reaching only to joint of mandible, 

 not sharply pointed, 1.3 to 1.5 in head; anal rays iii, 15 to iii, 19. 



Anchoa ginsburgi Hildebrand 

 36. Origin of anal fin far behind middle of base of dorsal fin, somewhere 

 under its posterior third and rarely behind base of dorsal; cheek longer 

 and narrower, generally notably longer than eye; anal rays iii, 17 to 

 iii, 22; dorsal fin when depressed usually with first rays extending to or 

 beyond tip of last depressed ray; depth 5.0 to 6.0 in standard length; 

 origin of anal under or slightly behind base of last dorsal ray; silvery 

 lateral band as wide as eye. .Anchoa lyolepis (Evermann and Marsh) 

 26. Gill rakers 22 to 33 on lower limb and 17 to 23 on upper limb of first arch. 

 4a. Origin of anal generally under posterior third of base of dorsal fin; cheek 

 short and broad, scarcely longer than eye; axillary scale of pectoral 

 about Yi length of that fin and 1.9 to 2.7 in head; dorsal origin about 

 equidistant between midcaudal fin base and middle of eye; maxillary 

 not sharply pointed posteriorly, its upper free margin rounded, reach- 

 ing to or slightly beyond joint of mandible; anal rays iii, 15 to iii, 19; 



gill rakers 18 to 22 + 24 to 28 Anchoa tricolor (Agassiz) 



46. Origin of anal about under middle of dorsal fin base, sometimes slightly 

 behind middle; depth 4.5 to 5.0, anal base 3.8 to 4.8, both in standard 

 length; maxillary long, sharply pointed, extending nearly to margin 

 of opercle except in the young, 1.2 to 1.35 in head; gill rakers 17 to 

 20 + 23 to 27; anal rays iii, 18 to iii, 22. 



Anchoa parva (Meek and Hildebrand) 

 16. Anal rays iii, 23 to iii, 37; gill rakers on first gill arch 14 to 19 + 16 to 22; anal 

 fin base 2.8 to 3.4 in standard length; axillary scale of pectoral broad reach- 

 ing nearly to or a little past midlength of that fin, 2.4 to 3.6 in head. 

 5a. Origin of dorsal fin notably closer to midbase of caudal fin than to tip of 

 snout; posterior margins of operculum broadly convex, figure 8a; tips of 

 pectorals not quite reaching to pelvic insertions; cheek as long as eye and 

 half snout; scales about 38 to 42; anal rays iii, 24 to iii, 29. 



Anchoa trinitatis (Fowler) 



56. Origin of dorsal fin notably closer to tip of snout than to midbase of caudal 



fin; posterior margin of operculum truncate or slightly concave, figures 



5, 8, 6; tips of pectorals reaching well past pelvic insertions; cheek much 



longer, equal to eye and twice snout; scales about 45 to 48. 



6a. Anal rays iii, 29; caudal fin with posterior margin not blackish; tip of 



dorsal not blackish Anchoa argenteus, new species. 



66. Anal rays iii, 33 to iii, 38; caudal fin with posterior margin blackish; 

 usually tip of dorsal blackish. 



Anchoa spinifer • (Cuvier and Valenciennes). 



• Extracted from Hildebrand's key to Anchoa. 

 » Not yet reported from Venezuela. 



