4 o 



ON THE APPENDICES GENITALES (CLASPERS) IN THE SELACHIANS. 



- R,l 



Rv — 



Fig. II. 



of the skeleton, but the following will, noth withstanding it defectiveness, show, that the structure of 



the skeleton is like that of Lamna. 



In the museum of Copenhagen is found a pair of dried skeletons of these organs that 



have been got from a stuffed specimen (from California) of the length of g m 15°™ (2y I / 2 Danish feet). 



By long soaking the dried softer cartilaginous parts 

 swelled so much that upon the whole they might be 

 thought to approach to the shape of the fresh skeleton. 

 Of the parts of the fin skeleton proper is only found 

 a little, somewhat triangular piece, situated proximally 

 at the dorsal end of the appendix-stem; it must be the 

 piece /?, which is accordingly (as presumably also the 

 piece 6 J quite small as in Lamna (and the Scylliidse) '). 

 The appendix-skeleton has a length of about 

 i m2 ); it may be doubted if all the terminal pieces have 

 been preserved, but the principal features may be seen 

 distinctly enough. The appendix-stem is calcified (the 

 proximal end, however, not very much); the soft style 

 is very long and rather broad, and reaches to the out- 

 ermost end of the terminal part (comp. Lamna). The 

 marginal cartilages are developed almost as in Lamna, 

 that is to say, they join dorsally without forming a 

 firm suture, the edge of the ventral one overlapping 

 that of the dorsal one 3). The number of terminal 

 pieces (in the specimen in hand) is 3. 



Td is short, not reaching to the end of the 

 style; it is calcified for the greater part of its length, 

 and has on the dorsal surface a furrow or groove /, 

 wide before, where it passes into the large appendix- 

 slit, while behind it becomes a narrow slit following the 

 piece to the end+). 



Tv is only calcified anteriorly, otherwise it is a 

 soft cartilage following the style just to the end. T, 



Fig. 12. 



Fig. 11. Selachus maximus. The skeleton of the 

 right appendage seen from the ventral side; much 

 reduced. 



Fig. 12. The same from the dorsal side, f furrow 

 in the dorsal terminal piece. Both figures have been 

 drawn after a dried skeleton. The position of 7^ is 

 scarcely quite correct, and Tv is separated from its 

 connection with the marginal cartilage Rv. 



M Pavesi (1S7S, p. 378, fig. 12) draws the ventral skeleton of a young male; here is only seen the basale, and a 

 very little developed stem-part of the appendix. As, however, in other Sharks the pieces, which I have here called i t etc. 

 and /J, are distinctly present in young ones, even in embryos, it is to be supposed that they have been overlooked here; in 

 Scyllium and Lamna they are so small, that they are easily overlooked, if the skeletal parts are not cleaned of the soft parts 

 with especial care. 



2 ) In the specimen of Blainville it was 3 feet long (the free part); the length of the animal was 29 ft. 4 inch. 

 1 The words of Blainville 1. c. p. 125 are: • ils offroieut en outre une fente ou sillon etendu dans toute leur longueur, 

 mais dout la moitie anterieure, d'a peu pres 14 pouces, etoit etroitement ferine par le rebord de deux cartilages tres-serres 

 et qu'on lie pouvoit ecarter qu'avec une tres grande difficulty. 



>i It ma\ possibly he this (?) slit, which is mentioned by Blainville 1. c. p. 126 as a <sillon beaucoup plus 



petit el plus etroit etc. 



