34 Bulletin 47, United States National Museum. 



Body rather robust, the head broad and depressed ; mouth iuferior, with 

 the teeth in both jaws strongly serrated in the adult, less so or entire in 

 the young ; those in the upper jaw broad or narrow, those below narrow, 

 straight, and nearly erect. No spiracles. First dorsal large, placed not 

 far behind pectorals ; pectorals falcate ; second dorsal small. Embryos 

 attached by placenta to the uterus, as in ScolioAon* Triakis, and Galcns. 

 Species very numerous and difOcult of separation. Voracious sharks of 

 the warm seas, {napxapiur, an old name of C. lamia, from la'ipxapo^, jagged ; 

 piv7i, shark, the name first applied to Sqiiatiua, from its rasp-like skin; 

 Ihvti, a file.) 

 ci. Teeth in both jaws distinctly serrate in the adult ; the sernu on the lower teeth smaller ; 

 upper teeth rather broad, lower teeth narrower ; snout not very acute. 

 PliATYPODON, (jrAariis, broad ; utto, under ; odous, tooth): 

 h. Upper teeth oblique, deeply notched on the outer margin ; lower teeth narrow, 

 scarcely or not notched, 

 c. Toctorals very large, 3 times aa long as broad, falciform , extending beyond base 

 of first dorsal ; color blue-gray. onsuuRUS, 39. 



cc. Pectorals shorter, not 3 times as long as broad, extending little if any beyoi.d 

 base of first dorsal. 

 d. Length of snout from mouth, little if any greater than width of mouth. 



e. Distance from end of base of first dorsal to ventrals less than length of 

 base of first dorsal. 

 /. Nasal flap without sharp lube. 



g. Second dorsal smaller than anal ; snout depressed ; first dorsal 

 close behind pectorals. I;ight gray. platyrhynchus, 40. 

 gg. Second dorsal and anal nearly equal ; color blue-gra3'. 



FALCIFOKMIS, 41. 



mancanza degli Spiragli." Under this group one new species is described, Carckarias taurus, a, 

 species of Odoyitafipis, as the genera have been understood. 



No type is indicated by Rafinesque, but it is evident that he had the Sijnaliis farchorias of Lin- 

 npeus in mind as type, in accordance with his custom of raising Liunwan species to the rank of 

 genera. In Rafinesque's Indice, published in the same year, 181(1, a few months later, S(juah(s 

 carcharias, L., appears as the type of Carcharias under the name of CanJuniiifi himin. The Squahis 

 carcharias of Linna?u8 as understood by Rafinesque was Curdiarlnims himia. It was primarily 

 based on Carcharodon cnrcharias, a species not known to most of the succeeding aiithors, who 

 applied the name Sgualus carcharias to Carcharias lamia instead of to Carchiirodoii. Cuvier dis- 

 tinctly makes lamia the type of his genus Carcharias as he refers to BSlon's figure of ' ' Oanis 

 carchariiw!^' as the only good representation of his species. 



Belou's figure plainly represents Carcharias lamia. It is also evident that Rafinesque has the 

 Jamid in mind in referring to his "Squahi.'s carchaiias" or "■ Carcharias lamia. ''^ The phrase "Coda 

 disiguale, obbliqua," shows this, as also does the fact that the species was placed in the list of Sicil- 

 ian fishes. Carcharias lamia is common in Sicily. Carcharodon carcharias is rare in the Mediterra- 

 nean. In fact, few of the earlier w Titers in Italy or France knew the Carcharodon, and referred 

 all accounts of it to the great shark known to them, Carcharias lamia. So far as intention of the 

 author goes, CarchariuK of Rafinesque should be strictly synonymous with Carcharias of Cuvier, 

 and both based on the same type as the Eidamia of Gill. Carcharhimts of Blainvi lie was originally 

 based, according to Gill, on his Si/uahis commersmii, which seems to be Carcharinus lamia. In this 

 connection wo may note that Rafinesqu*', in 1810, seemed to have used but two general treatises 

 on fishes, the Systema Natune of Linnanis, and the Ilistorie Naturelle des Poissons of Lacepede. 

 Rafinesque's genus CVircfoinds is Lacepede's "Premier sousgenre, une nageoirede 1' anus sans 

 events." His Galciis is the "Second sousgenre une nageoire del' anus et deux events," while 

 the name Sqnalns is retained by him for the "Troisifeme sousgenre, deux events sans nageoire 

 dB 1' anus." Rafinesque's remaining genera, Lalalias, Telroras, Istirti^s, Cerictius, Alojiias, etc., are 

 based on species supjioscd by Riifinesque to be new. 



If wo should refer Itafinesque's genera to the groups of Lacepede, on which they were really 

 based, Corcharia.i would be equivalent to Carcharhimts and aahiis to Galeorhimis. On the other 

 hand, the strict rule of requiring the type of a genus to be taken from the species actually men- 

 tioned by its author makes the arrangement here adopted the necessary one. As in otlier dis- 

 puted cases. We here follow the rules strictly. 



* So far as known to us, the embryos in all our other viviparous sharks are without jilacenta^ 



