10 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 10/ 



of the specimens measured. Insufficient specimens even now are 

 available for the definite determination of the races or populations that 

 exist. For example, only four specimens from the entire Gulf of 

 Maine are at hand, and none from South Carolina and Georgia. Fur- 

 thermore, the material from North Carolina and Florida includes 

 few large adults. Therefore, a definite analysis of the various races 

 or populations must await the receipt of additional specimens for study. 

 It can only be stated that the head tends to become larger toward the 

 southern part of the range, as both its length and depth increase 

 slightly in proportion to the standard length. Similarly, the maxillary, 

 the mandible, the pectoral fin, and the caudal fin are proportionately 

 rather longer in specimens from the southern part of the range than 

 in those from the northern part. There is also a slight average reduc- 

 tion in the number of dorsal rays in southern specimens. The data 

 do not show a decrease in the number of vertebrae in southern ex- 

 amples, which is so common an occurrence in fishes generally that it 

 was expected. 



It may be noted also that in general northern fish run larger in size, 

 are fatter, and definitely yield more oil per fish than southern ones. 

 Furthermore, spawning occurs during the summer northward, as at 

 Woods Hole, Mass., whereas southward, as in the Chesapeake Bay 

 area, and on the coast of North Carolina, it definitely occurs in late 

 fall and winter. The evidence, then, indicates that each section of 

 the coast has its own population or race. However, as already indi- 

 cated, more data are required before the morphological differences can 

 be shown accurately. 



Range. — Nova Scotia to Florida. Taken commercially from Maine 

 to Mayport, Fla. More or less reliably reported from as far south as 

 off Cape Carnaveral and Mosquito Inlet, Fla. (Goode, 1879, p. 36). 

 This species has been reported from the Gulf of Mexico and from 

 South America by various authors. However, menhaden from the 

 Gulf and from South America are recognized herein as distinct 

 species. It has also been reported from West Africa, a record re- 

 garded by the writer as probably incorrect, which he cannot verify, 

 however, as the necessary specimens are not at hand. 



BREVOORTIA BREVICAUDATA Goode 



Figure 2 



Brevoortia tyrannus var. brcvicaudata Goode, 1878b, pp. 34 and 37, Noank, Conn, 

 (descriptive notes ; compared with "normal" tyrannus and with aurca; table 

 of measurements and enumerations). 



