NO. l8 MENHADEN, GENUS BREVOORTIA — HILDEBRAND 31 



tyrannus smithi 



Ventral fin with a gently convex mar- Ventral fin with an oblique margin, 



gin, the innermost ray only a little the innermost ray only about half 



shorter than outermost one (see fig. as long as the outermost one (see 



9, B). fig. 9, F). 



Color dark green to bluish above, sides Color lighter, bluish green above, sides 



generally brassy green ; fins pale silvery ; fins golden yellow ; shoulder 



yellow to brassy; shoulder spot fol- spot not followed by smaller dark 



lowed by a variable number of spots, the sides being plain, un- 



smaller dark spots, body sometimes spotted, 

 profusely spotted anteriorly in adults 



111 addition to the morphological differences between tyrannus and 

 smithi, indicated in the parallel comparison, it should be stated that 

 the latter is a much more active fish, which when caught in a seine 

 makes a vigorous effort to escape, whereas the former generally strikes 

 the net once and then allows itself to be hauled in without making a 

 further effort to flee. Furthermore, smithi is not known to school and 

 it is not known to be numerous anywhere, generally only a few indi- 

 viduals at a time being taken. It differs still further from tyrannus in 

 being almost devoid of mucus, whereas tyrannus is densely coated with 

 mucus. As a result, fresh specimens may be identified by the touch, 

 as smithi is not slippery while tyrannus is very slippery. 



The fishermen at Beaufort, N. C, recognize smithi as different from 

 tyrannus, and call it the "yellowfin shad," whereas the latter is simply 

 called "shad" or "fatback." They consider its edible qualities superior 

 to that of tyrannus, and generally keep the few they catch for their 

 own tables. 



Range. — Known from Beaufort, N. C, to the "Indian River," pre- 

 sumably Indian River City, Fla. 



BREVOORTIA GUNTERI new species 



Fine-scale Gulf Menhaden 

 Figure 7 



Brevooriia patromis Goode (in part not patronus), 1878b, p. 39, Brazos San- 

 tiago, and mouth of Rio Grande, Tex. (diagnosis and tables of measure- 

 ments in part based on specimens from the mouth of the Rio Grande, which 

 are B. gunteri n. sp.). 



Brevoortia sp. Gunter, 1945, p. 27, Compano and Aransas Bays, Tex. (recog- 

 nized as differing from B. patronus in having more silvery, less green color, 

 as having a sharper snout, a "differently-shaped head" and much smaller 

 scales). 



On the identity of B. gunteri. — Specimens of this species, as indi- 

 cated in the foregoing synonymy, were included in Goode's type ma- 



