Fishes of the Western North Atlantic 319 



free rear tip, but with much more deeply concave posterior margin. Pelvics with nearly 

 straight edges and narrowly rounded corners, about as long as anal along anterior margins, 

 about I V2 times as large in area, their origin considerably nearer to rear end of base of ist 

 dorsal than to origin of anal. Distance from cloaca to caudal about % as great as from cloaca 

 to inner corner of pectoral in female, but perhaps somewhat longer, relatively, in male 

 (not seen). Pectoral about % (about 66%) as long as head, and about V2 as broad as long, 

 with strongly convex outer margin, weakly and evenly concave distal margin, and rather 

 narrowly rounded corners. 



Color. Adults in life are bluish gray above, grayish white below, with small black 

 spots scattered over the body ; embryos are silvery gray above, dirty white below.' 



Size. The lengths of recorded specimens, for which the identity is established, are 955 

 mm. (immature, see above), 2,766 and 2,270 mm. (male and female); thus this Shark 

 grows to at least a moderately large size. 



Developmental Stages. The embryos bear long yolk stalks and well developed yolk- 

 sac placentae, spongy in texture, showing that development is viviparous. Females have 

 been taken with as many as 1 2 embryos.^" 



Habits. The only available information as to its habits is that Cuban fishermen report 

 it as caught well oflFshore only, on set lines at depths greater than 1 50 fathoms, and only at 

 night (hence its local name "Tiburon de Noche''). 



Range. The Night Shark is known only off the north coast of Cuba, where it is so 

 common in the Gulf Stream that 36 specimens have been counted at one time at the shark 

 fishery station at Cojimar," and from the offing of South Carolina (a single specimen, 

 see Study Material, p. 3 1 6) . It has been recorded also by name from Georgetown, British 

 Guiana, as well as from Key West and the Tortugas, Florida, but without any supporting 

 evidence as to the actual identity of the specimens concerned. The fact that only one speci- 

 men has been reported from the east coast of the United States, although signatus is easily 

 recognizable, suggests that it wanders northward from its tropical home only as a stray. 



Synonyms and References: 



H-jfofrion signatusYovf, Repert. Fisico.-Nat. Cuba, 1868: 452, pi. 4, fig. 7, 8 (descr., teeth, Cuba); An. Soc. 

 esp. Hist, nat., 5, 1876: 395 ; Enumerat. Pise. Cubens., 1875: 199 (Cuba) ; Jordan and Evermann, Bull. 

 U.S. nat. Mus., 47 (l), 1896: 41 (descr., Cuba); Blosser, Ann. Carneg. Mus., 6, 1909: 295 (Brit. 

 Guiana, ident. queried) ; Garman, Mem. Harv. Mus. comp. Zool., 56, 1913: 122 (descr.) ; Gudger, Sci- 

 ence, N. S. ^/, 1915: 437 (name only, Tortugas, Florida) ; Yearb. Carneg. Instn. (1914), 15, 1915= 203 

 (name only. Key West, Florida) ; Jordan, Evermann and Clark, Rep. U.S. Comm. Fish. (1928), 2, 1930: 

 17 (Cuba) ; White, Bull. Amer. Mus. nat. Hist., T4, 1937: 128 (in Key) ; Bigelow and Schroeder, Guide 

 Comm. Shark Fish., Anglo Amer. Caribb. Comm., Wash., 1 945: 130, fig. 47 (descr., range, ill.). 



Carcharias (^Hyfofrion) signatus Gunther, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus., 1870: 362. 



Hypofrionlongirostris Poey, An. Soc. esp. Hist, nat., 5, 1876: 198, pi. 9, fig. 8, 9.^' 



9. Information contributed by Luis Howell-Rivero. 10. Information contributed by Luis Howell-Rivero. 



11. Personal communication from Luis Howell-Rivero. 



12. We agree with Garman (Mem. Harv. Mus. comp. Zool., 36, 1913: 123) that longirostris, based on a 2,266 mm. 

 specimen, was a synonym of signatus (based on jaws only), there being no essential diflferences in the teeth; a 

 photograph of unpublished drawings by Poey, showing the anterior part of the head of "longirostris," agrees 

 closely with the specimen illustrated here (Fig. 54) in shape and length of snout relative to breadth of mouth. 



