Species: Brevoortia tyrannus, Atlantic menhaden, the menhaden

Brevoortia tyrannus (Latrobe, 1802)

Menhaden, Atlantic 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.