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.

High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
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- Marine
- Brackish
- Inshore/Offshore
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- Inshore
- Inshore Only
- Water Column Position
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- Near Surface
- Mid Water
- Water column only
- Surface
- Habitat
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- Estuary
- Water column
- FishBase Habitat
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- Pelagic
- Feeding Group
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- Planktivore
- Data
- Carnivore
- Diet
-
- Data
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Phytoplankton
- Zooplankton
- Egg Type
-
- Data
- Pelagic
- Pelagic larva
- Global Endemism
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- All species.
- West Atlantic Endemic
- Greater Caribbean endemic
- Regional Endemism
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- All species..
- Gulf of Mexico endemic
- Continent only
- GC endemic
- Continent
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
- IUCN Red List
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- Listed
- Least concern
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 33
- Depth Range Min
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- 0
- Depth Range Max
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- 10