366 Memoir Sears Foundation for Marine Research 



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

 based on at least 1 10 specimens, 45-207 mm SL. 



Body: depth 33—45, usually 35—42. 

 Caudal peduncle: depth, 8.5—12. 

 Head: length 31—38, usually 32—35. 

 Snout: length 6.0—9.0, most frequently 



7.0-8.0. 

 Eye: diameter 7.0—9.2. 



Interorbital: width 6.5—8.0. 



Maxillary: length 14—17, usually 15—16. 



Mandible: length 17—20, most frequently 



18 or 19. 

 Anal fin: length of base 17—21. 

 Pelvic fin: length 8.5-10.5. 



Figure 91. Brevoortia patronus, 215 mm TL, 164 mm SL, off Galveston, Texas, USNM 129810. Drawn by 

 Ann S. Green. 



Pectoral fin: length 19-23, most fre- 

 quently 20—21. 



Scales: oblique series along middle of 

 side 36—50, usually 38—46. 



Modified scales : in a series in front of dor- 

 sal 24—33, generally 25—31. 



Ventral scutes: 28—32, most frequently 



29-31. 

 Fin rays: dorsal 17—21, most frequently 



19 or 20; anal 20—23; pectoral 14— 



1 7, most frequently 1 5 or 16. 

 Vertebrae: usually 45—47, rarely 42, 43, 



44, or 48 (117 specimens). 



Body rather deep, strongly compressed, its greatest thickness about a third of its 

 depth, the greatest depth well in advance of tip of pectoral and often only about an 

 eye's diameter behind margin of opercle, 2.2—3.0, usually 2.4-2.8, in SL; ventral 

 outline very strongly convex anteriorly, notably more than half of greatest depth of 

 body below a line extending through lower margin of eye to middle of base of caudal. 

 Caudal peduncle rather slender, 3.0-3.9, usually 3.2—3.7, in head. 



Scales adherent; the exposed part much deeper than long, the scale itself some- 

 what deeper than long (Fig. 85 a), the margin definitely serrate in young of about 60 mm, 

 the serrae gradually increasing in length with age, becoming definitely pectinate, the 

 pectinations reaching the full length of the otherwise exposed portion of the succeeding 



