NO. l8 MENHADEN, GENUS BREVOORTIA — HILDEBRAND I5 



are all of the small-scale species, herein designated B. gunteri n. sp. 

 It is evident that Goode included the specimens with the line scales 

 in his "Diagnosis" of B. patronus, because he gave a range of 50 to 

 70 scales in the "longitudinal rows." This range includes enumera- 

 tions contained in his tables, based in part on the large-scale species, 

 B. patronus, from Brazos Santiago, and in part on the small-scale 

 form, B, gunteri, from the mouth of the Rio Grande. Finally, Goode 

 gave proportions and enumerations for three small specimens from 

 a lot now consisting of two specimens (U.S.N.M. No. 5864), for 

 which the place of collection is unknown. The two specimens from 

 this lot at hand are B. patronus, while the missing one very probably 

 was B. gunteri, as Goode enumerated "about 70" scales in the "lateral 

 line," Goode's type material has now been separated and the two 

 species represented have been registered accordingly in the catalog of 

 the National Museum. 



Relationship. — B. patronus is closely related to B. tyrannus, and 

 generally has been considered as only subspecifically distinct from it, 

 or identical with it, by authors. However, it is evident from a critical 

 study that the two differ in many respects, and to such a degree that 

 they apparently should be treated as distinct species. The principal 

 differences are shown in the parallel comparison presented herewith. 

 The tables (Nos. i to 7) show deviations in many ways. Even though 

 there is overlapping in all the proportions and enumerations given, it 

 is evident, at once, that the modes often differ widely. 



Although the range of the two species is now discontinuous, it was 

 no doubt once continuous. Menhaden are not known to occur on the 

 shores of southern Florida, "Indian River" on the Atlantic and Tampa 

 on the Gulf apparently being the limits of the range southward, respec- 

 tively, of tyrannus and patronus} The dift'erences that now exist be- 

 tween the two are exactly what one would expect after a long separa- 

 tion under the influence of a different environment. It is true, also, 

 and in keeping with expectation, that the large-headed, deep-bodied, 



1 The writer is aware that Silas Stearns, in Goode (1884, p. 575), implied, at 

 least, that B. patronus occurred at Key West, Fla. However, Isaac Ginsburg 

 and I resided at Key West for i^ to 3 years, collected there rather extensively, 

 but failed to find menhaden. It seems improbable, therefore, that Brevoortia 

 occurs there. Harcngulu is common at Key West, and it may be that Stearns 

 confused this genus with Brevoortia. Neither did Dr. Charles M. Breder, Jr., 

 of the American Museum of Natural History see any at Palmetto Key, Fla., 

 for he stated in a letter in reply to my inquiry, "In the five years that we spent 

 at Palmetto Key I never saw any menhaden, nor were any taken to the best of 

 my knowledge by others working there." No specimens from farther south than 

 Appalachicola, Fla., are at hand, though it was reported from Tampa by Henshall 

 (1894, p. 211). 



