NO. 1482. ARGENTINA FISHES— EVERMANN AND KENDALL. 75 



Jenyns' Chqjea pectinata is a Brevoortia and was regarded by Goode ^ 

 as a distinct species, taking the place of B. tyrannus mirea south of 

 Brazil, from which it was distinguished chiefl}^ b}^ the fewer scales in a 

 transverse series, the formula for which was in 3 specimens 50,-1 8 to 20. 

 One of these specimens was from Rio Grande, Brazil, Goode did not 

 give the scale formula for aurea., but in his figure, Plate III, fig. 3, 

 there are over 60 laterally and 23 or 24 transversely. There are, 

 however, just as many scales in one figure of a menhaden from Woods 

 Hole. Goode had a large number of northern menhaden in which he 

 found great variation in the proportional measurements; in fact, in all 

 their characters, sufficient indeed to cause him to regard local groups 

 as varieties. 



He had comparatively few Brazilian specimens, and only 3 which he 

 regarded as B. pectinata. It is probable that if he had had more of 

 the latter he would have found as great variation in them as he did in 

 the northern fish. We have examined a small series of northern men- 

 haden, but none of awrea and but 1 oi j^ectinatavfKioh is Goode's Par- 

 aguayan example. We are therefore not in a position to reach any 

 positive conclusion regarding the identity or distinctness of these 

 forms. We have, however, 2 specimens in the present collection 

 which in the number of scales agrees with B. jjectlnata., but compared 

 with the above-mentioned Paraguaj^an example of that species, is as 

 different in other respects as are specimens from Chesapeake Bay. 

 The most notable difierence is in the position of the ventrals and the 

 consequent difierence in the extent of the pectorals. In northern men- 

 haden Goode states this character is variable and unreliable. Our 

 specimens, compared with 2 Chesapeake Bay specimens of somewhat 

 smaller size, are very different. They have deeper heads, fewer longi- 

 tudinal scales, and a more posterior situation of the ventrals. With 

 all these difficulties before us we deem it inadvisable to attempt to 

 draw any conclusions further than that intergradation probably exists 

 and that B. i)ectinata is not more than a subspecies at most; and that 

 an examination of a larger series of menhaden from the habitat of this 

 form would reveal that it is the only menhaden there, but subject to 

 great variation as in the north. Being unable more closel}" to identif}" 

 our specimens with B. pectlnata than with aurea or ty7'annus we pro- 

 visionally designate them as Brevoortia tyrannus^ in as much as Berg- 

 records this species from those waters. 



The tails being somewhat broken we have to give their lengths to 

 base of caudal only. Lengths 12.27 and 11.67 inches, respectively; 

 head 3.37 and 3.35 in length; depth 2.76 and 3.01; eye 7.75 and 7.33 

 in head; snout 4.01 and 4.40; maxillary 2.11 and 2.39; mandible 1.72; 

 scales about 50-15 (vertical); D. 14 ? and 17; A. 21 and 20. 



«Rept. U. S. Fish Comm., V, 1877 (1879), pp. 18, 30. 



