Fishes of the Western North Atlantic 



189 



and Marco, Florida; Mobile Bay, Alabama; off Grand Isle, Louisiana; Progreso, 

 Yucatan, Mexico; Puerto Barrios, Guatemala; Cuba; Jamaica; and St. Thomas. 



Distinctive Characters. This species differs from A. hepsetus and from nearly all 

 other local forms in a very slender body and more numerous gill rakers. 



Description. Proportional dimensions in per cent of standard length, and counts, 

 based on 39 specimens, 45-70 mm TL. 



Figure 37. Anchoa cubana, 63 mm TL, 53 mm SL, from St. Thomas, West Indies, USNM 83802. Drawn 

 by Louella E. Cable. 



Body, depth 15-18. 

 Head: length 22.7-27.8. 

 Snout: length 3.85-4.7. 

 Eye: diameter 6.1—7.75. 

 Postorbital: distance 10.5-12.5. 

 Maxillary: length 18.7-22.2. 

 Mandible: length 15. 6-18. 8. 

 Anal fin: length of base 18.5-22.2. 



Pectoral fin: length 1 2.5-1 3.7. 



Scales: ca. 40—43. 



Gill rakers: 17-23 + 23-33, usually 19- 



22 + 25—28 (Tables 11, in). 

 Fin rays: dorsal 14—16; anal 20-24; 



pectoral 13 or 14. 

 Vertebrae: 42 or 43 (14 specimens). 



Body slender, rather strongly compressed, with a rather sharp edge on chest and 

 abdomen, its depth 5.5-6.7 in SL. Head small, 3.6-4.3 in SL, its depth equal to its 

 postorbital length and about a third of eye. Snout short, extending about 66 "/o of its 

 length beyond tip of mandible, 4.8-6.5 in head. Eye small, 3.5-4.0. Postorbital 

 short, 1.9-2.3 in head. Maxillary bluntly pointed, its upper margin nearly straight, 

 usually extending nearly to margin of opercle, 1.1-1.25 in head. Mandible i. 4-1. 75. 

 Cheek somewhat longer than eye, its posterior angle rather broad, about 45°. Gill 

 RAKERS slender, close-set, often difficult to count (probably accounting for wide 

 range given). 



Dorsal fin with the longest rays failing to reach tip of last ray if deflexed, its origin 

 about equidistant between base of caudal and some point over posterior half of eye. 

 Anal with origin under or slightly in advance of middle of dorsal base, its base 4.5- 

 5.4 in SL. Pelvic reaching somewhat less than halfway to origin of anal, inserted a 



