Fishes of the Western North Atlantic 163 



Key to Species of the Western North Atlantic 



I a. Anal fin with 25 rays or more [ni. mitchilli rarely with 24); anal base 25-35. 6''/o 

 of SL (j>ectoralis sometimes only 2 3. 4 "/(,). 



2 a. Origin of dorsal about an eye's diameter nearer to tip of snout than to base 

 of caudal; anal with 30 rays or more. 



3a. Origin of anal under or somewhat in advance of middle of dorsal base; 

 32 or more anal rays. 



4a. Anal with 35—40 rays; pectoral fin generally reaching far beyond 

 base of pelvic fin, 5.0—5.7 in SL; margin of caudal black. 



spinifer (Cuvier and Valenciennes) 1848, p. 167. 

 4b. Anal with 32 rays; pectoral fin not reaching far beyond base of pelvic 

 fin, 6.5 In SL; margin of caudal not black. 



argenteus Schultz 1949, p. 169. 

 3b. Origin of anal behind dorsal base; 30 anal rays. 



duodecim (Cope) 1869, p. 170. 



2b. Origin of dorsal nearer to base of caudal than to tip of snout; anal usually 



with less than 30 rays {mitchilli and trinitatis sometimes with as many as 30). 



5 a. Origin of dorsal nearer to posterior margin of eye than to base of 



caudal ; longest rays of dorsal reaching to or beyond tip of last ray when 



deflexed; pectoral usually with more than 12 rays {cayorum sometimes 



with only 12). 



6a. Depth of body 22.2-25.50/0 of SL; gill rakers usually 16-19+ 19- 

 22 (rarely only 15 on upper limb); anal base 29. 4-33. 4"/^ of SL. 



trinitatis (Fowler) 1 9 1 5, p. 171. 



6b. Depth of body iS. 2-22.2'^ jo of SL; gill rakers 12-14+ 17-19 



(cayorum rarely with 15 on upper limb, pectoralis occasionally with 



20 on lower limb); anal base 2 3. 5-2 9. 4 "/o of SL. 



7 a. Maxillary narrowly pointed, extending nearly or quite to margin 



of opercle, 19.2— 22.5''/o of SL; origin of anal well in advance 



of middle of dorsal base; pectoral with 12 or 13 rays, generally 



failing to reach base of pelvic fin by about half of diameter of 



eye, 13.9— i6.6''/o of SL. cayorum (Fowler) 1906, p. 173. 



7 b. Maxillary bluntly pointed, extending only slightly beyond 



joint of mandible, i^.^-K^.o^j^ of SL; origin of anal generally 



under middle of dorsal base; pectoral with 15-17 rays, reaching 



nearly to base of pelvic fin, 1 7.8-1 8.8 "/o of SL. 



pectoralis Hildebrand 1943, p. 174- 

 5 b. Origin of dorsal nearer to base of caudal than to posterior margin of 

 eye, very rarely equidistant; longest rays of dorsal usually failing to 

 reach tip of last ray when deflexed; pectoral with 11 or 12 rays. 



mitchilli (Cuvier and Valenciennes) 1848, p. 176. 



