Fishes of the JVestern North Atlantic 



20I 



Mandible: length 20-22.2. 



Anal fin: length of base 19—22.5. 



Pectoral fin: length 1 4-1 5.4. 



Scales: ca. 40—44. 



Gill rakers: 15— 21 + 19— 26 (most fre- 

 quently 18 or 19 + 20-22). 



Fin rays: dorsal 12 — 15; ^^^^ 19""^ 3 5 

 pectoral 12 — 14. 



Vertebrae: 41—43 (9 specimens). 



Body very slender, rather strongly compressed, its depth 5.0-6.0 in SL. Head 

 3.1—3.7 in SL, its depth about equal to its postorbital length. Snout extending nearly 

 its full length beyond tip of mandible, 4.3—5.5 in head. Eye scarcely longer than 

 snout in large specimens, 4.25—5.0 in head. Postorbital part of head slightly longer 



Figure 42. Anchoa /yolepis, 63 mm TL, from Hucares, Puerto Rico, USNM 125580. Drawn by Louella 

 E. Cable. 



than snout and eye, 1.7—2.0 in head. Maxillary rather bluntly pointed, its upper 

 margin gently rounded, not quite reaching margin of opercle, 1. 15— 1.3 in head. Man- 

 dible 1. 25-1. 55. Cheek narrow, about as long as snout and eye, its posterior angle 

 acute, about 25°. 



Dorsal fin moderately high anteriorly, its longest rays reaching nearly to tip of 

 last ray if deflexed, its origin usually a little nearer to base of caudal than to tip of 

 snout. Anal with origin under or slightly behind base of last dorsal ray, its base 4.45— 

 5.3 in SL. Pelvic inserted equidistant between origin of anal and pectoral base, some- 

 times a little nearer to the latter. Pectoral rather falcate, failing to reach pelvic by 

 50— 75'/o of diameter of eye, the last ray only about half as long as the first or upper- 

 most ray, 1.75— 2.1 in head. Axillary scale of pectoral rather short and broad, about 

 50-75''/o of length of pectoral, 2.9-3.5 ^" head. 



Color. In alcohol pale. Side of head silvery. Lateral band bright silvery, fully as 

 wide as eye (often dusky in specimens preserved in formalin); back and both dorsal 

 and caudal fins with dusky dots, these frequently present at base of anal also. 



Size. The 70-mm (2.8 in.) specimen measured is the largest one seen, and it is 

 probably near the maximum size attained. 



Reproduction. Specimens of two different lots taken during February in Puerto 

 Rico contain well-developed roe. 



