Fishes of the Western North Atlantic 529 



out denticles, and so strongly oblique that their inner margins form a cutting edge, but 

 with the teeth separated by distinct interspaces. 



Dorsal fins very small, brush-shaped, with broadly rounded corners, the origin of ist 

 over or slightly anterior to anterior third of bases of pelvics. Second dorsal a little smaller 

 than ist, its origin pictured as varying from over or a little posterior to rear ends of bases 

 of pelvics to over their rear tips. Interspace between ist and 2nd dorsals pictured for Euro- 

 pean specimens as varying from as long as base of ist dorsal to so short as to be hardly 

 discernible. Caudal extremely characteristic, being broadly scythe-shaped with tapering 

 tip, its posterior contour evenly concave without definite subterminal notch, its lower in- 

 ferior corner broadly rounded. Pelvics much larger than dorsals, their bases nearly or quite 

 twice as long as bases of latter, with rounded apices and tapering rear corners. Pectoral a 

 little less than V2 as long as head, brush-shaped, with weakly convex outer margin, broadly 

 rounded corners and notably broad base. 



Color. This is variously described as dark gray, dull olive or brown above, with 

 reflections of violet, silver, gold or coppery yellow, and with or without obscure darker 

 blackish or reddish blotches 5 paler brown or gray to white below. The scales have iaeen 

 described as luminescent,' but there are no special luminous organs.* 



Size. The smallest European specimens on record were about three feet in length, the 

 largest about nine feet} the majority of measurements available have ranged between 

 approximately 5 feet and 8 V2 feet. A specimen of eight feet four inches weighed about 

 300 pounds, and an eight-foot five-inch example of the New Zealand form about 350 

 pounds. Females appear to average larger than males. 



Developmental Stages. It is not known whether the development is viviparous or 

 ovoviviparous, the latter being much more likely. 



Habits. This is described as a ground shark, caught in E.^ropean waters most often 

 on hook and line. OflF the coast of Portugal and in the Gulf of Gascony it is most numerous 

 at depths of about 400 to 900 meters (about 220 to 500 fathoms). But there is also a long 

 list of recorded captures from the shallow waters of the English Channel and North Sea, 

 proving that its choice of depth is not narrow. 



Its recorded diet includes smaller sharks {Squalus acanthias), other fish, and crabs. 

 Nothing is known of its breeding habits. 



Range. Eastern Atlantic, from tropical West Africa to Ireland and the North Sea, 

 including the Mediterranean; apparently it is most numerous in the southern part of the 

 Bay of Biscay and oflF the coast of Portugal; it is known also from Morocco to Senegal. 

 It is accidental in the western Atlantic. It is also represented off South Africa, Argentina, 

 California,' in the Hawaiian, Japanese and Australo-New Zealand regions, and in Arabian 



5. Cornish, Zoologist, (2) 10, i875:4SOi. 



6. Burckhardt, Ann. Mag. nat. Hist, (7) 6, 1900: 568. 



7. Hubbs and Clark (Calif. Fish Game, 31 [i], 1945: 64) report the recent capture of a six-foot specimen, off 

 Los Angeles County, California, indistinguishable from the eastern Atlantic brucus. 



