52 BULLETIN 10 0, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



sal ; anal base little if any longer than dorsal base, shorter than space 

 to subcaudal ; pectoral equals head ; ventral obliquely truncate. 



Brown above, lighter beneath. Hind part of head, body and under 

 surface, from between pectorals backward, ornamented with fairly 

 uniform black spots. Dorsals, anal, and caudal similarly marked. 

 Three rows of spots on ventrals tend to form transverse bars. 

 Length, 620 mm. (Waite; Garman.) 



Western Australia, North Australia, Queensland. Though Waite's 

 name has been accepted for this species, Squalus cuvier Lesueur, very 

 incompletely noticed as follows, may be intended for it : 



Head and body very thick. Dorsal moderately emarginate. Cau- 

 dal superior in position. Lunulated emargination above tail, another 

 beneath at base of fin. Irregular blackish spots on body from sum- 

 mit of head to caudal fin, which also spotted; spots disposed in 3 

 rows, which rather irregular on anterior part. 



Genus PENTANCHUS Smith and RadcliflFe 



Pentanchus Smith and Radclitfe, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., vol. 41, p. 490, 1912. 



(Type, Pentanchus profundicolus Smith and Radcliffe, monotypic.) 

 Apristtirus Garman, Mem. Mus. Comp. Zool., vol. 36, p. 96, 1913. (Type, Scyl- 



Uorhinus indicus Brauer, orthotypic. ) 

 Apristurius Schulze, Kijkenthal, et al., Nomencl. Animal., Band 1, Lief 2, 



p. 244, 192. (Type, ScyUiorhimts indicus Brauer.) 

 ParaprisUirus Fowlee, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia , vol. 85, p. 237, 1934. 



(Type, Catulus spongiceps Gilbert, orthotypic.) 



Body about half total length. Snout elongate. Eye large. Mouth 

 large, with labial folds on both jaws. Teeth small, with 3 to 5 cusps. 

 Front nasal valves separate from one another and from mouth; 

 usually cirrus on one or both nasal flaps. Gill openings small, last 

 above pectoral. Spiracle small, near eye. Upper caudal edge not 

 armed with enlarged scales. Dorsals small, inserted behind body 

 cavity, first dorsal sometimes absent. Anal, subcaudal, and ventrals 

 large, close together. Caudal axis not elevated. Pectorals moderate. 

 Ventrals inserted before middle in total length. 



Small sharks in deep water or bathypelagic and of uniform colora- 

 tion. The true relations of the genus were at first misunderstood as 

 Regan pointed out : ^ ^^ Pentanchus profundicolus is described as a 

 new genus and species, and the representative of a new family of 

 notidanoids; in my opinion this fish belongs to the family Scylior- 

 hinidae, and if, as I suspect may be the case, the absence of the first 

 dorsal fin is abnormal or accidental, it is a Scyliorfiinus closely re- 

 lated to the species numbered 11 to 14 in my synopsis [indicus^ hnm- 

 neu^, spongiceps, and profundormn}.^^ 



' Science, new ser., vol. 36, no. 916, p. 81, 1912. 



