252 BULLETIN 10 0, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



upper. Pectoral short, falls well before dorsal. Ventral inserted 

 midway between tip of lower jaw and caudal tip. 



Upper surface brown, lower surface darker to blackish. 



Eastern Atlantic, Mediterranean, South Africa. 



A.N.S.P. Nos. 480-482. Italy. Length, to 416 mm. 



Genus CENTROSCYLLIUM Muller and Henle 



CentroscylHum Muixek and Henle, Syst. Besclir. Plagiostomen, p. 191, 1&41. 



(Type, Spinax fabricil Reinhardt, monotypic.) 

 ParacentroscylUum Alcook, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 6, vol. 4, p. 379, 1S89, 



(Type, ParacentroscylUum ornatum Alcock, monotypic.) 



Body elongate, fusiform. Tail shorter than body cavity. Head 

 wide. Snout short, blunt, depressed. Eye large, orbit elongate, no 

 nictitating membrane. Mouth wide, moderately arched, with deep 

 groove and labial fold at each angle. Teeth small, raptorial, with 

 3 to 7 sharp cusps. Gill openings narrow, before pectoral. Spiracle 

 behind eye higher, superior. Scales small, usually with wide base 

 and slender acuminate cusp. Dorsal spines well exposed, grooved 

 longitudinally each side; first dorsal near pectorals; second dorsal 

 behind ventrals. No anal. Caudal without pits, subcaudal deep, 

 lobe little produced. 



Small dark or black sharks, mostly of deep seas. 



ANALYSIS OF SPECIES 



(2\ Centroscyixium. Caiidal truncated posteriorly, lower edge of fin with dis- 

 tinct posterior notch ; second dorsal origin before hind basal ventral edge. 

 b^. First dorsal origin close behind pectoral base, before pectoral tip ; black, 



fin edges with white borders nigrum 



b'. First dorsal origin opposite depressed pectoral tip; fins broadly whitish 



terminally ritteri 



a'. Para>centroscylu;um. Caudal ends in point posteriorly, lower edge of fin 

 without distinct posterior notch; black ornatum 



Subgenus Centroscyllium Miiller and Henle 



CENTROSCYLLIUM NIGRUM Garman 



Centroscyllium nigrum Gaeman, Mem. Mus. Comp. Zool., vol. 24, p. 28, pi. 1, 

 fig. 2, pis. 4-5 (anatomy), pi. 69, fig. 1, 1899 [type locality: Lat. 7° to 6° 

 N., long. 81° W., in 546 555 fathoms, off Galapagos]. — Regan, Ann. Mag. 

 Nat. Hist., ser. 8, vol. 2, p. 41, 1908 (compiled). — Gasman, Mem. Mus. Comp. 

 Zool., vol. 36, p. 231, 1913 (type).— Fowler, Mem. Bishop Mus., vol. 10, 

 p. 23, 1928 (type of Centroscyllium ruscosum) ; Proc. 4th (1928) Pacific 

 Sci. Congr., Java, p. 496, 1930 (same material). 



Centroscyllium ruscosum Gilbert, Bull. U. S. Fish Comm., vol. 23, pt. 2 (1903) 

 p. 580, fig. 230, 1905 (type locality: Near Kauai, in 418-^29 fathoms). 



Depth 51/^ to subcaudal origin; head 3i/^, width ll^. Snout 3% 

 in head, soft, pliable, depressed; eye 41/2, Ws in snout, 2 in inter- 

 orbital; dentary width 2 in head, short labial fold around angle; 



