Species: Brevoortia tyrannus, Menhaden, Atlantic Menhaden

Brevoortia tyrannus (Latrobe, 1802)
Atlantic Menhaden, 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 rounded, oblique, inner rays equal to or nearly equal to outer rays when fin is folded back; a forked tail fin; belly midline fully covered with a keel of scutes (hard, spiny scales), 30-32 scutes; scales rough, large, 45-52 (40-58) in lateral series; scales on upper tail base and base of tail fin much 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, with variable numbers of smaller spots forming up to 6 lines behind that.
Reaches 60 cm.
Marine, inshore pelagic to as much as 80 km offshore, also enters brackish and near freshwater.
Depth range: 0-50 m.
Nova Scotia to Florida.

High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
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- Brackish
- Marine
- Inshore/Offshore
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- Inshore
- Inshore Only
- Water Column Position
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- Mid Water
- Near Surface
- Surface
- Water column only
- Habitat
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- Water column
- Estuary
- FishBase Habitat
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- Pelagic
- Feeding Group
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- Carnivore
- Data
- Planktivore
- Diet
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- Data
- Zooplankton
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Phytoplankton
- Egg Type
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- Data
- Pelagic
- Pelagic larva
- Global Endemism
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- All species
- Greater Caribbean non-endemic
- West Atlantic Endemic
- Regional Endemism
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- Continent
- Continent only
- Extends North of GC
- GC non-endemic
- All species
- Residency
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- Vagrant
- Climate Zone
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- Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
- Temperate (>35N)
- IUCN Red List
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- Least concern
- Listed
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 60
- Depth Range Min
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- 0
- Depth Range Max
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- 50