3A. 'Second dorsal fin substantially greater in area than 

 first dorsal fin ; first dorsal fin origin usually be- 

 hind posterior end of base of pelvic fins 



Apristurus indicus 



3B. First and second dorsal fins of nearly equal area ; 

 first dorsal fin origin over the middle of the pelvic 

 base Apristurus laiirussoni 



Apristurus profundorum (Goode and Bean), 1896 



Figures 7, 22, 23, 25, and 27 ; tables 1, 7, and 8. 



The type specimen of .4. profundorum, USNM 

 35646, is in quite, poor condition and very fragile. 

 The fins are frayed, the skin looks scuffed, and the 

 general impression given is that denticles, pieces 

 of skin, and pieces of fins must be missing. Actu- 

 ally very little is missing although there is no 

 doubt that the specimen had been severely dam- 

 aged either when captured or during 69 years of 

 its existence as a preserved specimen. Some ques- 

 tions about this specimen came up during the 

 course of preparation of a report on sharks (Bige- 

 low, Schroeder. and Springer, 1953), and if my 

 memory is correct it fell to my lot to reexamine it. 

 Apparently my reexamination missed some of the 

 important features, and I am thus primarily re- 

 sponsible for failure to note that the material 

 studied and held to be profundorum in that report 

 included two species. 



A. profundorum is easily separated from the 

 other three western Atlantic species by the char- 

 acters given in the preceding key. Several differ- 

 ences also are evident from table 8 which shows 

 ranges of measurements in the series examined. 

 These ranges of measurements show a lesser dis- 

 tance from the tip of the snout to the origin of the 

 first dorsal fin than in the other three western At- 

 lantic species and a lesser distance from the tip of 

 the snout to the origin of the second dorsal. The 

 table also shows a wide degree of variation in 

 proportions for all Apristurus. 



The teeth of the type, an adult male, are in 

 25 + 25/25 + 25 rows, and the teeth of a smaller 

 female specimen, MCZ 38299, are in 31 + 31/25 + 25 

 rows. The teeth are difficult to count because they 

 are arranged in alternate series, and the number of 

 functional series varies from about five near the 

 symphysis to three or less at the corners of the jaw. 



The type of profundorum was collected from 

 1,492 m. off Delaware Bay, and the specimens in- 

 cluded in the series of five specimens measured here 

 was collected by the M/V Cap^n Bill II at depths 

 from 686 to 1,317 m. off New Jersey and New 

 England. 



I'm. i re 22. — .1, Apristurus profundorum (Goode and Bean), drawn from a 390-mm. female, MCZ 38299; B, 

 Apristurus indicus < Brauer), drawn from a 395-mm. female from M/V On-yon station 3586. 



612 



U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE 



