FAMILY, I-CARCHARIID^. 717 



Carcharias limhatus, Giinther, Catal. viii, p. 373. 

 Carcharias Ehrenbergi, Klunz. Fisch. R. Meer. 1871, p. 661. 



Length of preoral portion of the snout about equal to the width of the mouth, and is slightly less than 

 the distance between the eye and the first gill-opening : a short groove at the angle of the mouth scarcely 

 extending on to the upper jaw. Eyes — small : gill-openings about twice the size of the eye. Teeth — ■ 

 erect, somewhat constricted above the base, which is broad, the upper broader than those in the lower jaw, 

 although both are of somewhat similar shape : both serrated, but most distinctly in the upper jaw : in the 

 young the teeth in the mandibles usually appear to have smooth edges, but under the microscope* the rudiments 

 of serrations are perceptible. Fins — the length of the base of the anal is equal to about 2/3 of its extent from 

 the base of the ventral : the pectoral extends to below or even to beyond the hind edge of the dorsal fin : its 

 posterior edge is slightly concave : its internal edge is equal to from 3 to 3^ in its outer. Dorsal commences 

 over the inner angle of the base of the pectoral : second dorsal arises above or slightly posterior to the origin 

 of the ana], than which it is somewhat smaller. Length of caudal 3^ to 31 in that of the total. Culours — gray 

 superiorly, becoming white on the sides and beneath. Fins dark gray : in the immature (as the example 

 figured) the outer extremity of pectoral, lobe of caudal, and the margins of the fins, dark black : ventral 

 and anal white edged. As age advances, as at two feet, the second dorsal becomes black tipped and the anal has 

 a darker edge. 



Habitat. — The example figured (16'8 inches long) was from the Malabar coast of India. It attains at 

 least six feet in leng-th. It is very common along the sea borders of India, and appears to frequent the tropical 

 parts of the Atlantic, the Pacific coast of Central America, and to extend through the Indian Ocean. 



17. Carcharias Temminckii. 



Carcharias (Prionodon) Temminclcii, Miill. and Henle, Plagios. p. 48, t. xviii. 



Squalus (Carcharias) Temminckii, Blyth, Journ. As. Soc. of Bengal, 1800, p. 36. 



Lamiopsis Temminckii, Gill, Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist. New York, vii, p. 410. 



Carcharias temminckii, Giinther, Catal. viii, p. 374. 



Length of the preoral portion of the snout equals about 4/5 the width of the mouth. Nostrils nearer to 

 the mouth than to the end of the snout. Teeth — ff:i-|, upper rather narrow with a broad base, erect^ and 

 serrated : the lower erect, entire, awl-shaped : the teeth near the outer angle of the jaws very small. Fins — 

 first dorsal inserted midway between the roots of the pectoral and ventral fins : pectoral with its upper edge 

 nearly three times that of the lower. Second dorsal opposite anal, and nearly as large as the first. Colours — 

 uniform. 



Habitat. — Seas of India. 



Genus, 2— Hemigaleus, Bleaker. 



Ghcenogaleus, Gill. 



Spiracles minute and behind the eye. Memhrana nictitans present. A pit before the root of the caudal fin 

 both above and below. Snout longitudinally produced. Mouth crescentic, with labial folds. Teeth in the upper 

 jaw denticulated, not so in the lower. The first dorsal fin, which is destitute of a spine, is placed opposite the 

 interspace between the pectoral and ventral: caudal with a single notch. 



These fishes have been divided from Carcharias on account of the existence of a rudimentary spiracle 

 behind the eye, and likewise by the labial folds being developed in all known species but which is rare in 

 Carcharias (see C. Walbeehmii, p. 712). 



Habitat. — Coromandel coast of India to the Malay Archipelago. 



1. Hemigaleus Balfouri, Plate CLXXXV, fig. 4. 



Length of the preoral portion of the snout slightly exceeding the width of the mouth, and not quite 

 equalling the distance between the eye and the first gill-opening. Spiracle minute, .situated about 1/ 2 a diameter 

 of the eye posterior to the orbit. A groove at the angle of the mouth extending some distance along either 

 jaw. Nostrils situated nearer to the mouth than to the end of the snout. The distance between the outer 

 angles of the nostrils equal to the width of the mouth. Gill-openings at least twice the width of the orbit. 

 Teeth — It, those in the upper jaw smooth, notched externally, or with about three denticulations along the 

 outer side of the base: those on the lower jaw of a slightly smaller size, erect and smooth. Fins — 

 pectoral falciform, extending to below the first third of the base of the dorsal fin, its internal nearly 

 equalling 1/3 of its outer margin. First dorsal (with about 24 rays) having its base almost midway between 

 the end of the base of the pectoral and the origin of the ventral fins. Second dorsal (with about fifteen 

 rays) commencing slightly in advance of the anal, the length of its base equal to rather above 1/2 of that of the 

 first dorsal, while it is rather larger than the anal. Caudal fin equal to about 5 in the total length, and with 

 a distinct pit at its root. Colours — dark brown, fins gray, the second dorsal with a dark summit. 



* I have examined one example this size in which none of the teeth were apparantly serrated, but if placed under 2-inch 

 power of the microscope serrations aie observed to be commencinK, the edges of tlie cusp being creuulated. The black marks on the 

 dorsals, pectoral and caudal, were well marked, but they were absent from tlie ventral and anal. 



