Common Name
Little-eye Round Herring
Year Described
Whitehead, 1963
Identification
Dorsal Fin: 9-11
Anal Fin: 11-13
Pectoral Fin: 12-14
Pelvic Fin: 8
Vertebrae: 38
Lateral Line Scales: 35-40
Gill Rakers: 21-28 lower (first arch in adults)
Body cylindrical in cross-section. Snout long (>eye diameter) . Mouth barely reaches anterior of orbit. Teeth absent on triangular premaxilla. Isthmus slender (with blunt shoulder humps). No scutes on ventral surface. Scute anterior to pelvic fin W-shaped. Branchiostegal rays number 6-7. Dorsal fin single and at midbody. Pelvic fin under anterior part of dorsal fin. Anal fin far back on body and small. Tail forked. Body fully scaled.
Color
Body translucent with a greenish tint to internal organs. A bright silvery lateral stripe (about half eye diameter) narrows slightly behind gill cover.
Size
Maximum size to 65mm TL.
Habitat
Coastal pelagic in shallow water. Forms large schools.
Range
The Bahamas, Greater Antilles (Cuba, Hispaniola), and continental waters from the Bay of Campeche to Panama.
References
McEachran, J.D. & J.D. Fechhelm. 1998. Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico. Volume 1: Myxiniformes to Gasterosteiformes. University of Texas Press, Austin. i-viii + 1-1112.
Munroe, T.A. & M.S. Nizinski. 2002. Clupeidaeidae (pp 804-830). In: Carpenter. 2002. The living marine resources of the Western Central Atlantic. Vol. 2: Bony fishes part 1 (Acipenseridae-Grammatidae). FAO Species Identification Guides for Fisheries Purposes. American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists Special Publication No. 5.
Other Notes
Jenkinsia is closest in appearance and size to anchovies (Engraulidae) but can be distinguished by having much smaller mouths, smaller eyes, and a pelvic fin origin before the dorsal origin.
This is the only Jenkinsia that lacks teeth in the premaxilla.