Species: Brevoortia gunteri, Finescale Menhaden

Brevoortia gunteri Hildebrand, 1948

Finescale Menhaden

Deep bodied, compressed; head, and especially the gill cover, large; mouth large, upper jaw with a distinct central notch into which the tip of the lower jaw fits; adults without jaw teeth; gill rakers long, fine, numerous, those on upper part of gill arch overlapping those on lower arm; dorsal and anal fins short, anal origin under or behind last dorsal ray; pelvics i, 6; its rear margin oblique, nearly straight, inner rays distinctly shorter than outer rays when fin is folded back; tip of pectoral reaches to within 1-2 scales of pelvic base; a forked tail fin; belly midline fully covered with a keel of scutes (hard, spiny scales), 27-30 scutes; scales rough, 35-46 scales in lateral series; scales on upper tail base and base of tail fin not markedly smaller than rest; back before dorsal fin with a ridge along the midline formed by a double line of modified scales.

Silvery, a small dark spot just behind upper corner of operculum, but none along flank; fins dusky to yellow.

Reaches 33 cm.

Marine, inshore pelagic; also enters brackish water.

Depth range: 0-10 m?

Gulf of Mexico.