10 DEEP-SEA FISHES OF THE ATLANTIC BASIN. 



ETMOPTERUS, Rafinesque. 



Spinas, Cuvier, Regne Animal, 1817, II, 129.— Muixek and Hf.ni.e, S. B. Plag., 1841, 86. 



Acanthidium, Lowe, Proc. Zoiil. Soc, 1839, 91, (type, A. pusillum Lowe).— Fishes of Madeira, 1843-60, '40. 



Spinacoid sharks, with two dorsal (ins, each with a spine; no anal tin. Month but little 

 arched; a long, deep, straight, oblique groove on each side of the mouth. Teeth of the 

 lower jaw with the point so much turned aside that the inner margin of the tooth forms a 

 cutting edge. Tipper teeth erect, each with a long pointed cusp and one or two small ones 

 on each side. No membrana nictitans. Spiracles wide, superior, behind the eye. Gill 

 openings narrow. 



North Atlantic, Mediterranean, and southeastern Pacific. 



KTMOPTERFS SPINAX (I.inn.ki - i. (Figure 10.) 



.Spinas spinas, Linx.kcs, Syst. Nat., x, 1758, I, 233; xn, 1766, I. 398. 



•Spinas nii/er, Bonapartb, Fauna Italica, Pesci, in, 1*32-11. Bg. 1, pi. CXLI. — Dumeril, Elasmobr., 441. — 

 Gi'-NTHEi:, Cat., vm, 424. — Coixett, Norges Fiske, 1875, 215. — Capeiao, ('at. IVix. Port. 1880,49. 



A Spinax, with scales tipped by short setiform spines, giving a villous appearance to the 

 skin. First dorsal shorter than second, midway between the second dorsal and eye. 

 [Jniform brown or black, or with whitish longitudinal band along the side of the abdomen 

 and of the tail. Caudal sometimes with white margin. (Giinther.} 



The little spinous dogfish with tricuspid teeth in its upper jaws has not yet been 

 found in the western Atlantic. Unless the naturalists of Europe have been careless, 

 its distribution on that coast is very remarkable. The Norwegians find it along theirentire 

 coast, from the Christiania Fiord to West Fimnark (kit. <i'J° 30'), where it is abundant and 

 produces young in midsummer. In the Mediterranean it is also abundant, occurring at 

 great depths (dbita agrande prqfondita, Canestrini), and it has also been taken in the Atlantic 

 off Lisbon. We can find no record of its Inning been observed by French or English nat- 

 uralists, unless it has been confounded with the other form of spiny dogfish — Squalus 

 acanthias,L., — which is abundant at both extremes of the recorded range of Spinax spinax, 

 and is abundant in the Mediterranean as well as in Norway, and also on the American 

 coast from New York (hit. 40° 30') northward to Labrador and doubtless to Greenland, It is 

 probable that a more careful search may reveal the presence of Spinax on the English and 

 French coasts, and it may be in America. 



Etmopterus spinax is replaced about Madeira by E.pusillus. 



F.tm. granulosus of Giinther (Challenger IJeport vi, Shore Fishes, 19, pi. ii, 2, fig. C), 

 occurs on the southwest coast of South America, where a single specimen 10J inches long 

 was obtained by the Challenger. 



ETMOPTERUS PUSILLUS (Lowe), .1. & E. (Figure 5.) 



Acanthidium pusillum, Lowe, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1839, 91. — Trans. Zoiil. Soc. Ill, 19. 



Spinax pusillus, Gi xthek, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus., vm, 425.— Vaili.axt. Voy. TravaiUeur and Talisman, 72.— 



Coixett, Bull. Soc. Zo.d. France, xv, 1890, 219. 

 Spinax hillianus, Poey, Mem. Hist. Nat. Cuba, n, 340.— Rep. l'is. Xat. Cuba, tstis. t.".l {fide Giinther). 



A Spinax with body smooth, scales very small, each with minute tuberosity, but without 

 spines; the first dorsal fin much shorter than the second, midway between the second dorsal 

 spine and the eye; tail relatively shorter than on S. spinax, its length less than the space 

 between the snout and the origin of the pectorals; color brown. (Giinther.) 



The Blale took a single individual, believed to belong to this species, at Station CVIH, 

 off St. Christopher, in 208 fathoms. It had previously been known only from Madeira and 

 Cuba, the Cape Verdes, 200 fathoms (Travailleur), and the Bermudas (Goode). Lowe had 

 five or six from Madeira, where it is not very rare, never exceeding a foot in length. The 

 species is there taken " at moderate depths." but the line fisheries of Madeira are all at extra- 

 ordinary depths below the surface. 



