170 "endeavour" scientific re&ults. 



FamUy ALOFJIBM. 



Genus Alopias, Eafinesque. 



Alopias vulpinus, Bonnaterre. 



Alopecias vulpes, McCoy, Prodr. Zool. Vict., Dec. ix., 1884, 

 pi. Ixxxviii. 



The head of a large example, with the pectoral fins attached, 

 was picked up by the trawl of the " Endeavour " at a depth 

 of 200 fathoms. It had been bitten off cleanly from the body 

 by some larger animal, probably a Killer Whale, Orca gladiator, 

 Bonnaterre, and was but httle decomposed when secured. 

 It had the general appearance of McCoy's illustration, quoted 

 above, though the upper profile of the head was very gibbous, 

 rising from the snout in a strongly convex curve. 



Loc. — Off Cape Everard, Victoria. 



Genus Urolophus, Miiller & Henle. 



Urolophus, Miiller & Henle, Sitzb. Akad. Wiss. Berhn, ii., 

 1837, p. 117 {U. cruciatus) ; Id., Garman, Mem. Mus. 

 Comp. Zool., xxxvi., 1913, p. 405. 



Trygonoptera, Miiller & Henle, Plagiost., 1838-41, p. 174 

 {T. testacm, Miill. & Henle) ; Id., Garman, Loc. cit., 

 p. 409. 



The presence or absence of a dorsal fin has been considered 

 of sufficient importance to distinguish Trygonoptera and 

 Urolophus, but this character is apparently variable even 

 within the hmits of a species. It is usually present in T. 

 testacea, but an adult example in the AustraHan Museum 

 having all other characters of that species is without any 

 trace of it ; T. viridis, on the other hand, generally lacks a 

 dorsal fin, but it is well developed in several specimens which 

 apparently belong to this species. Variation of this 

 character in young examples of Urolophus has already been 

 noted by Waite^, and his observations are borne out by the 

 " Endeavour " material. 



The species of Urolophus differ from Trygonoptera in having 

 a shorter and thicker tail, but in the absence of other differ- 

 entiating structures this can scarcely be regarded as of generic 

 value. 



1. Waite— Mem. Austr. Mus., iv, pt. 1, 1899, p. 43. 



