640 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol. xxvi. 



Origin of first dorsal nearer tip of caudal than tip of saw, nearer 

 origin of ventral than that of pectoral, nearer posterior margin of eye 

 than second dorsal ; two dorsals are similar, of about equal size, second 

 with posterior part of its base midway between first dorsal and tip of 

 caudal; pectorals large, broad, blunt, rounded, nearer origin of second 

 dorsal than tip of saw; ventrals behind Mrst dorsal and nearer origin i 

 of second dorsal than that of pectorals; caudal not ver}' broad, upper 

 lobe much l)roader than lower, whole fin a little more than space between ■ 

 dorsals. Caudal peduncle rather long, thick, flattened above and below, ' 

 its least depth one and one-half in interorbital space. A lateral keel r 

 along each side of t,dl from ventrals to caudal inferiorly. No pores 

 in lateral line. 



Color, pale graj^-brown above; 'below, whitish. 



Length, 40:^ inches. 



This description from a large example from Aomori. i 



Coasts of Japan; our specimens from Aomori and Nagasaki, theij 

 latter received from Mr. Yahiro. A specimen is in the museum of 

 Aomori, taken at Ajigasawa on the Japanese Sea. 



The teeth are placed somewhat diflerently from those represented 

 in Schlegel's figure, but the species is doubtless the same. i 



Family XVI. SQUATINID^F:. \ 



ANGEL SHARKS. 



Ray-like sharks. Body depressed and flat, the snout obtuse, the , 

 mouth anterior; teeth conical, pointed, distant; pectoral fins very 

 large, expanded in the plane of the body, but not adherent to the side 

 of the head, l>eing deeply notched at the l)ase; ventral fins very large; 

 dorsal fins 2, small, subequal, on the tail behind the ventrals; no anal i 

 fin; caudal small; gill-openings wide, parti}' inferior, partly hidden 

 by the l)ase of the pectoral; spiracles wide, crescent-shaped behind 

 the eyes; nostrils on the front margin of the snout, with skinny flaps; 

 males with small prehensile appendages; vertebra^ tectospondylous. 

 A single genus among living forms, with ])ut one species certainly 

 known; a small shark of singular appearance, found in most warm i 

 seas. In appearance, as in structure, this family is strictly interme- 

 diate between the sharks and the rays. Its nearest living allies are 

 probably the Dalatiidae. 



32. SQUATINA Dumeril. 



ANGEL FISHES. 



Squnlina'Dvmmu., Zool. Analyt., 1808, p. 102 {angdus—squalina). 



Rhina Rafinesijuk, C'aratteri Aleuni Nuovi Generi, 1810, p. 14 {tt(jiiatina). 



Rh'mii Klein, in Aucuste Dumeril, Elasmobranches, 1870, p. 464 {fn/ivitina). 



Characters of the genus included above. 



