2 64 Memoir Sears Foundation for Marine Research 



Body almost round, its greatest thickness about 80 "/o of its depth, its greatest 

 depth 5.4—6.25 in SL; ventral profile a little more strongly convex than dorsal pro- 

 file. Caudal peduncle compressed, its depth 3.3—3.9 in head. 



Scales deciduous, usually lost in preserved specimens, very thin, scarcely deeper 

 than long, with even edges. 



Head low, rather long, 3.45—4.15 in SL. Snout equal to or more usually longer 

 than eye, tapering, 3.0—3.9 in head. Eye with much adipose tissue in adults, 3.25—4.1 

 in head. Interorbital bone 6.25—7.55. Maxillary obliquely rounded posteriorly, 

 reaching about under anterior margin of eye, 2.6—3.0 in head. Mandible coterminal 

 with snout, 1.85—2.0 in head. Gill rakers rather slender, moderately close-set, those 

 at angle somewhat exceeding half of length of eye; apparently not increasing in number 

 with age. Teeth small, in a single series on mandible; a few minute teeth on pre- 

 maxillaries, and a row on the margin of maxillaries; very small granular teeth on 

 vomer, palatines, pterygoids, and tongue.* 



Dorsal fin moderately elevated anteriorly, with concave margin, its longest rays 

 generally not reaching tip of posterior ray if deflexed, its origin about equidistant be- 

 tween margin of snout and vertical from middle of anal base, its distance from snout 

 2.15-2.4 in SL. Caudal fin forked, the lobes of about equal length, generally somewhat 

 longer than head without snout. Anal small, rather feebly developed, placed far behind 

 dorsal fin, a little nearer to base of caudal than to base of pelvic, its base 3.5—4.5 in 

 head. Pelvic fin rather short and broad, with nearly straight margin, inserted a little 

 behind vertical from base of last ray of dorsal, generally a little nearer to base of pec- 

 toral than to base of caudal, 2.3—3.0 in head; a membranous axillary process present, 

 about 67 "/o of the length of fin. Pectoral fin moderately developed, reaching notably 

 less than halfway to base of pelvic, inserted fully an eye's diameter nearer to tip of 

 mandible than to base of pelvic, 1.5-1.8 in head; a long membranous axillary process 

 present about 0.83 of length of fin. 



Alimentary canal about half of SL. Stomach with a long blind sac and nu- 

 merous pyloric caeca. Air bladder long and narrow. 



Color. Fresh specimens olive green above, silvery on lower half of side and below. 

 In old preserved specimens, back generally brownish and lower parts pale (sometimes 

 silvery). 



Si-ze. A length of 200-250 mm (8-10 in.) is said to be attained by this species. 



Development. The postlarvae and young adults are very slender, as is usual in 

 young herrings. In postlarvae 25-28 mm TL (21-24 mm SL) the body depth is 

 contained about 16-24 times in the SL; the jaws are weakly developed; the teeth 

 are not evident; the snout is proportionately longer than that in adults, being 1.5- 

 2.0 times longer than the eye; the pectoral fins are not much more than tufts of mem- 

 brane; and the pelvics are incompletely developed. The larval pigment spots are still 

 retained, chiefly in a single slightly broken dark line on the chest, in two diverging 

 dark lines on the abdomen, in a row of dark spots along each side of the base of 



4. To see the teeth clearly it may be necessary to dry the head. 



