NO. l8 MENHADEN, GENUS BREVOORTIA — HILDEBRAND 33 



standard length, its depth 29 to 35.5, usually 30.5 to 32 (31) ; depth 

 of body 2i7 to 45, usually 38 to 41 (40.5) ; snout 7.0 to 10 (9.3) ; eye 

 6.6 to 9.5 (6.8) ; maxillary 14.5 to 17.5, usually 15.5 to 16.5 (16) ; 

 mandible 17.5 to 20.5, usually 18.5 to 19 (19.5) ; interorbital (bone) 

 7.0 to 8.0 iSJ-Z) \ caudal peduncle, depth 9.5 to 12.2, usually 10 to 11 

 (11) ; ventral fin 9,3 to 11 (9.3) ; pectoral fin 19 to 23.5, usually 20 to 

 22 (21.5) ; lower lobe of caudal fin 32 to 39, usually 34 to 37 (35.5) ; 

 anal base 19 to 23, usually 20.5 to 22.5 (21). Dorsal rays 17 to 20, 

 usually 18 or 19 (18) ; anal rays 20 to 25, usually 22 to 24 (22) ; 

 pectoral rays 15 or 16, rarely 14 (15) ; scales, oblique series crossing 

 middle of side, about 60 to 75 (61) ; modified scales in a series in ad- 

 vance of dorsal fin, 35 to 45, usually 38 to 42 (42) ; ventral scutes 27 

 to 30, usually 28 or 29 (29) ; vertebrae 43 or 44, rarely 42 (enumer- 

 ated in 22 paratypes). 



Body very strongly compressed (for a menhaden), its greatest 

 thickness only about a third of its depth, its greatest depth a little in 

 advance of origin of dorsal and a little in advance of tip of pectoral, 

 2.2 to 2.7, usually 2.43 to 2.6 (2.47) in standard length; ventral out- 

 line more strongly convex than the dorsal, much more than half the 

 depth below a straight line extending through lower margin of eye to 

 middle of base of caudal; caudal peduncle rather deep, 2.7 to 3.5 

 (2.85) in head, and -^^.d to 4.0 (3.6) in greatest depth; head 2.7 to 

 3.2 (3.1) in standard length, its depth 2.75 to 3.4 (3.2) ; snout com- 

 pressed, with a sharp median notch, its length 3.4 to 4.4 (3.45) in 

 head ; eye 3.6 to 4.8, usually 4.2 to 4.7 (4.6) ; maxillary broadly 

 rounded, reaching to or a little beyond vertical from posterior margin 

 of pupil, 1.8 to 2.2, usually 2.0 to 2.1 (2.0) ; interorbital (bone) 4.1 

 to 4.7 (4.4) ; upper section of opercle with very feeble radiating striae 

 or none; mandible well included in upper jaw, its length 1.55 to 1.95 

 (1.65) in head; gill rakers long, the longest ones somewhat exceed- 

 ing length of snout, 97 on lower limb of first arch in a specimen 70 mm. 

 in total length, 113 to 123 in three specimens respectively 103, 113, 

 and 113 mm. long, and 135 to 150 in four specimens 200 to 300 mm, 

 in total length ; teeth missing in all specimens at hand ; scales closely 

 adherent, the exposed part three to four times as deep as long, the 

 scale itself about two-thirds as deep as long, with prominent serrae 

 in adults, ending in somewhat blunted points (see fig. 8, E) ; the 

 scales much reduced in size on back and at base of caudal, in rather 

 irregular series (difficult to enumerate accurately) ; the row of en- 

 larged, modified scales on each side of median line on back in front of 

 dorsal fin not fully developed in young under about no mm. in total 

 length ; ventral scutes weaker in large examples than in smaller ones. 



