PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM 



is a comparison of the systematic arrangements of the family Sphyr- 

 nidae, as presented by Tortonese and Fraser-Brunner, with a classifi- 

 cation as determined from the present study: 



Proposed 



Subgenus Eusphyra Gill, 1861 



1. Sphyrna blochii (Cuvier, 



1817) 

 Subgenus Sphyrna Rafin- 

 esque, 1810 



2. Sphyrna mokarran 



(Ruppell, 1835) 



3. Sphyrna zygaena 



(Linnaeus, 1758) 



4. Sphyrna lewini (Griffith 



and Smith, 1834) 



Tortonese, 1950 



Fraser-Branaer, 1950 



Eusphyra blochii (Cuvier 

 1817) 



Sphyrna mokarran 



(Ruppell, 1835) 

 Sphyrna tudes 



(Valenciennes, 1822) 

 Sphyrna zygaena 



(Linnaeus, 1758) 

 Sphyrna lewini 



(Griffith, 1834) 

 Sphyrna oceanica 



(Garman, 1913) 

 Sphyrna diplana 



Springer, 1941 



Sphyrna blochii 

 (Cuvier, 1817) 



Sphyrna tudes 



(Valenciennes, 1822) 

 Sphyrna ligo, new 



species 

 Sphyrna zygaena 



(Linnaeus, 1758) 

 Sphyrna lewini 



(Griffith, 1834) 

 Sphyrna oceanica 



(Garman, 1913) 



5. Sphyrna couardi 



Cadenat, 1951 

 Subgenus Platysqualus 

 Swainson, 1839 



6. Sphyrna tiburo tiburo Sphyrna tiburo Sphyrna tiburo 



(Linnaeus, 1758) (Linnaeus, 1758) (Linnaeus, 1758) 



Sphyrna tiburo vespertina Sphyrna tiburo Sphyrna tiburo 

 Springer, 1940 (Linnaeus, 1758) (Linnaeus, 1758) 



7. Sphyrna media Sphyrna media Sphyrna media 



Springer, 1940 Springer, 1940 Springer, 1940 



8. Sphyrna corona Sphyrna corona Sphyrna corona 



Springer, 1940 Springer, 1940 Springer, 1940 



9. Sphyrna tudes Sphyrna bigelowi Sphyrna bigelowi 



(Valenciennes, 1822) Springer, 1944 Springer, 1944 



Another nominal species, Sphyrna nana, which was recently 

 described by Sadowsky (1965), is regarded as a synonym of S. media, 

 for reasons discussed elsewhere in this paper. 



Adequate study material exists for all of the above species, with 

 the exception of Sphyrna couardi. I have not seen an entire specimen 

 of this species, although I have examined a head; however, the mor- 

 phology of the head and chondrocranium, together with the patterns 

 of the Ampullae of Lorenzini, indicate that S. couardi is a valid form. 



A number of structures have been studied that have proved to be 

 usefid in the delineation of the species of Sphyrna. All species can 

 be distinguished on the basis of head shape alone. Head shape ranges 

 from evenly rounded and spadelike (Sphyrna tiburo tiburo) to ex- 

 tremely wide and narrow {Sphyrna blochii). Some forms have an 



