Brevoortia gunteri
Collection Details
Specimens
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Clupeiformes (Herrings, Anchovies and Sardines)
Clupeidae (Herrings)
Brevoortia
Brevoortia gunteri (Finescale Menhaden)
Description
This species account was compiled from
Composite (multiple sources) (McEachran, J.D. and J.D. Fechhelm. Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico. University of Texas Press, Austin.)
and processed using AI-assisted text extraction.
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Characters
Body compressed and deep; large terminal mouth; deeply forked caudal fin; body depth 37-45% SL; head length 31-36% SL; symphysis of upper jaw notched; lower jaw included in upper jaw when mouth closed; upper margin of lower jaw nearly straight; maxilla extends to posterior margin of eye; suborbital bone deeper than long; jaws lack teeth in adults; gill rakers long, increasing in number with growth; pectoral fin extends to within 1-2 vertical scale rows of pelvic fin base; dorsal fin originates at mid-distance between snout tip and caudal fin base, has concave margin, 17-20 rays; pelvic fin has straight posterior margin, inserts under dorsal fin base, 7 rays; anal fin posterior to dorsal fin base, 20-25 rays; scales adherent, 60-77 transverse rows; scales along dorsal midline enlarged and fringed; belly with 27-31 scutes; vertebrae 42-44
Dark gray dorsally; silvery on side and belly; adults with large black shoulder spot; dorsal and caudal fins dusky, caudal fin margin pale; other fins translucent
Distribution
Western North Atlantic, northern and western Gulf of Mexico, from Chandeleur Bay, Louisiana, to Campeche Bay
Habitat Associations
Inshore, brackish water
Biology
Plankton obtained by filtering water through gill rakers
Maximum known size 315 mm TL
Spawning takes place in winter and early spring near shore and in bays
Schooling in inshore waters, including bays (possibly euryhaline). Feeds on plankton. No data on breeding (Ref. 188). Spawns during winter and possibly during early spring (Ref. 37032).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2018-07-11. Resilience: Medium (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: highly commercial.
References
Gunter 1945 (as Brevoortia sp.)
Christmas and Gunter 1960
Hildebrand 1963d
Dahlberg 1970
Hoese and Moore 1977
Whitehead 1985
C. R. Robins et al. 1986
Boschung 1992
Whitehead, P.J.P. (1985) FAO Species Catalogue. Vol. 7. Clupeoid fishes of the world (suborder Clupeoidei). An annotated and illustrated catalogue of the herrings, sardines, pilchards, sprats, shads, anchovies and wolf-herrings. FAO Fish. Synop. 125(7/1):1-303. Rome: FAO.
Breder, C.M. and D.E. Rosen (1966) Modes of reproduction in fishes. T.F.H. Publications, Neptune City, New Jersey. 941 p.
Robins, C.R. and G.C. Ray (1986) A field guide to Atlantic coast fishes of North America. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, U.S.A. 354 p.
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