Fishes of the IV es tern North Atlantic 27 



other j"^ final number of teeth established at birth or soon thereafter; saw teeth spaced 

 c,—() times as far apart near base of saw as toward tip but with the decrease in spacing 

 somewhat irregular ;8^ the basal pair separated from the apparent level of emergence 

 of the saw by a distance about as great as length of orbit. Individual teeth shortest 

 but broadest (about 1.5 times as long as broad) at base of saw, narrower and longer 

 both relatively and absolutely along terminal half, where they are about four times as 

 long as broad; the longest teeth a little less than half as long as distance between nostrils; 

 teeth with longitudinal axes about transverse to axis of saw as a whole, their posterior 

 outlines a little more convex toward tips which are sharp or variously blunted by wear; 

 anterior edge sharp; posterior edge flat transversely, or nearly so, on basal teeth but 

 more or less channeled longitudinally farther out on saw, perhaps as result of wear, 

 thus giving each tooth two longitudinal cutting edges posteriorly. 



Head from base of saw to level of first gill opening between 1/5 and 1/4 (about 

 23 "/o) of trunk from base of saw to origin of caudal; its dorsal profile weakly convex; 

 distance from anterior margins of orbits to base of saw about half as great as distance 

 between orbits, and distance from mouth to base of saw a little greater than breadth 

 of mouth. Orbits and spiracles of about equal lengths and a little longer than nostrils. 

 Gill openings with anterior outlines strongly convex; breadth between inner ends of 

 fifth pair a little greater than length from mouth to base of saw. Nostrils with anterior 

 margin expanded as a narrow lobe with rounded tip directed rearward across mid- 

 sector of nasal aperture; the posterior margin also forming two shorter lobes. Mouth 

 transverse, nearly straight, its breadth about twice as great as distance between nostrils, 

 with irregular folds at corners allowing wide gape. 



Oral teeth I^Eivej minute, and dome-shaped anteriorly, with obtuse transverse 

 cutting edge and base extended posteriorly in characteristic form (Fig. 4L); close-set 

 in quincunx along each jaw, in a band nearly semicircular in cross section, with about 

 10—12 rows in function simultaneously. 



The two dorsals similar in shape and of about equal size; subtriangular; anterior 

 margins weakly convex toward apex, posterior margins moderately concave toward 

 base, free rear corners about half as long as bases, vertical heights about equal to 

 distance between outer ends of spiracles or a little greater; origin of first dorsal about 

 over origin of pelvics. Interspace between first and second dorsals about 1.5 times as 

 long as base of first dorsal. Interspace between second dorsal and origin of caudal a 

 little shorter than base of second dorsal. Caudal subtriangular with narrowly rounded 

 corners, its upper margin nearly straight and about as long as distance from origin 

 of second dorsal to midpoint of base of first dorsal; lower margin weakly convex, 

 posterior margin slightly sinuous, with lower posterior corner projecting only slightly. 



64. 25-26 in newborn male; 24-24, 24-25, and 25-25 on 30-inch specimens from Marco, Florida; 24-24 on male 

 1,420 mm; 26-27 on 14-foot specimen from Key West, Florida; and 28—28 on saw of one more than 12 feet long, 

 among those that we have seen. A specimen apparently of this species has been recorded as having only 22 teeth 

 on one side but 25 on the other (Bloch, Naturg. ausland. Fische, i, 1785: 42). 



65. On two large saws, each about 640 mm long, the widest spacing (basal pair) is about 56 mm, the narrowest, a few 

 pairs posterior to the tip, is only about 10 mm. 



