.-..-.5- •■?■■- * . - *ss^v 



Figure 15. — A, Scyliorhinus boa (Goode and Bean) drawn from a 348-mni. female from M/V Oregon station 

 2351; B, Scyliorhinus hesperius new species, drawn from a 260-nim. female from M/V Oregon station 

 1883. 



tions where S. meadi was taken is close to the 

 Bahama Banks. 



Despite the extensive collection of S. retifer 

 available for study, few of the specimens are 

 adults. A male, 395 mm. in total length, taken by 

 the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries M/V Dela- 

 ware in 128 m. off Delaware Bay, was the only 

 specimen observed that was determined to 'be sex- 

 ually mature. 



A 475-mm. female taken from 402 m. off Pensa- 

 cola, Fla,, was the largest specimen examined. The 

 ovary was extremely small, without evidence of 

 developing eggs. 



The stomach of the 475-mm. specimen contained 

 12 cephalopod beaks of more than one type. 



Teeth of specimens of S. retifer are in 21 + 21/ 

 19 + 2+19 to 26 + 26/21 + 4 + 21 in specimens ex- 

 amined. In form, the teeth of retifer do not dif- 

 fer greatly or consistently from teeth of other 

 Atlantic American species of Scyliorhinus. 



Scyliorhinus hesperius new species 



Figures 7. 9, 15, and 27 : tables 1, 3, and 4. 



Holotype. — An immature female, USNM 187732, 415 mm. 

 in total length, taken at M/V Oregon station 3598, lat. 



09°03' N., long. 81°22' W., at 360- to 400-m. depth on 

 the Caribbean coast of western Panama, May 31, 1962. 

 Additional material examined. Twelve specimens, 177 

 to 466 mm. total length, taken at M/V Oregon stations 

 1870, 1883, 3522, 3565, 3574, 3575, 3598, 3599, 3626, 4480, 

 and 4482, all in the western Caribbean from the vicinity of 

 Jamaica and Honduras, southward to Panama and off Bar- 

 ranquilla, Columbia, in 274- to 530-m. depth. 



Diagnosis. — 8. hesperius resembles 8. boa, 8. 

 meadi, and 8. retifer in proportions and external 

 structural features but differs from these species in 

 having from 2 to about 35 round white spots, small- 

 er than the diameter of the eye, within each of the 

 dorsal saddles and lateral blotches. The species 

 differs from 8. retifer in the absence of reticulating 

 lines or in the absence of darker margins around 

 the saddles and blotches. It differs from 8. boa in 

 the absence of small black marketings either scat- 

 tered or outlining the saddles and blotches. The 

 presence of small white spots in 8. hesperhix 

 separates it from 8. meadi in all the specimens seen. 

 The. white spots in 8. hesperius are concentrated in 

 the saddles and blotches and are not more or less 

 randomly distributed as in 8. torrei. 



Description of holotypc. — An immature female, 

 415 mm. in total length and having dimensions as 



REVIEW OF WESTERN ATLANTIC CAT SHARKS 



603 



