Species: Brevoortia smithi, Yellowfin menhaden


Brevoortia smithi Hildebrand, 1941
Yellowfin 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 straight, oblique, inner rays much shorter than outer rays when fin is folded back; tip of pectoral reaches to within 3-5 scales of pelvic base; a forked tail fin; belly midline fully covered with a keel of scutes (hard, spiny scales), 30-32 scutes; scales rough, small, 60-70 (54-80) in lateral series; scales on upper tail base and base of tail fin markedly smaller and irregularly spaced; back before dorsal fin with a ridge along the midline formed by a double line of modified scales.
Green blue above, silvery on sides; a black spot just behind upper corner of operculum, but no more spots behind it; fins golden yellow.
Reaches 42 cm.
Marine, inshore pelagic, also enters brackish and freshwater.
Depth range: 0-10 m?
N Carolina to the Gulf of Mexico.

High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
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- Marine
- Brackish
- Freshwater
- Inshore/Offshore
-
- Inshore
- Inshore Only
- Water Column Position
-
- Surface
- Water column only
- Near Surface
- Mid Water
- Habitat
-
- Freshwater
- Estuary
- Water column
- FishBase Habitat
-
- Pelagic
- Feeding Group
-
- Data
- Planktivore
- Diet
-
- Data
- Phytoplankton
- Egg Type
-
- Pelagic larva
- Data
- Pelagic
- Global Endemism
-
- West Atlantic Endemic
- All species.
- Greater Caribbean non-endemic
- Regional Endemism
-
- Continent only
- All species..
- Continent
- GC non-endemic
- Extends North of GC
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Temperate (>35N)
- 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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- 42
- Depth Range Min
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- 0
- Depth Range Max
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- 10