FISHES OF THE GULF OF MAINE 





By HENRY B. BIGELOW, Museum oj Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, and WILLIAM 

 W. WELSH, Late Scientific Assistant, U. S. Bureau of Fisheries 



CONTENTS 



Page 



Introduction 6 



Scope of the work 1 7 



Area covered 7 



Sources of information 8 



Use of the keys 10 



Key to Gulf of Maine fishes 11 



The lampreys. Class Marsipobranchii 15 



The hagfishes and lampreys. Familes Myxinidae and Petromyzonidse 3 5 



Hagfish {Myxine glutinosa Linnaeus) 16 



Sea lamprej' {Petromyzon marinus Linnaeus) 18 



True fishes. Class Pisces 21 



Sharks and rays. Subclass Elasmobranchii 21 



Sharks 22 



The eel sharks. Family Chlamydoselachidae 24 



Eel shark (Chlamydoselachus anguineus Garman) 24 



The smooth dogfishes. Family Galeorhinidae 25 



Smooth dogfish (Galeorhinus tewis Valmont) 25 



Requiem sharks. Family Carcharinidae 27 



Tiger shark (Galeocerdo arclicus Faber) 27 



Great blue shark (Galeus glaucus Linnseus) 28 



Dusky shark {Carcharhinus obscurus LeSueur) 29 



The hammer-headed sharks. Family Cestraciontidse 30 



Hammerhead shark {Cestracion zygxna Linnaeus) 31 



The thresher sharks. Family Vulpeculidfe 32 



Thresher {Vulpecula marina Valmont) 32 



The sand sharks. Family Carchariidae 34 



Sand shark {Carcharias taurus Ksi&nesque) 34 



The mackerel sharks. Family Isuridae 35 



Mackerel shark {Isurus punctalus Storer) 36 



Sharp-nosed mackerel shark {Isurus tigris Atwood) 38 



White shark {Carcharodon carcharias Linnaeus) 39 



Basking shark {Cetorhinus maximus Gunner) 41 



The spiny dogfishes. Family Squalidae 44 



Spiny dogfish {Squalus acanthias Linnjeus) 44 



Portuguese shark {Centroscymnus coelolepis Bocage and Capello) 51 



Black dogfish {Centroscyllium fabricii Reinhardt) 52 



1 



1 



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