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.