Holt and Caldeewood — Report on the Rarer Fishes. 371 



>! 55 



55 55 



Genus Pristiurus, Bonaparte. 



Pristiurus melanostoma, Rafinesque. The Black-mouthed dogfish. (Deep-sea.) 



Pristiurus melanostomus, . . Day, "Fish. Gt. Brit.," ii., p. 314. 



. . CoLLETT, "Nyt. Mag. f. Naturvid.," xviii., p. 117. 

 . . GiJNTHEE, "Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist.," S. 6, vol. iv., 

 p. 415. 

 Pristiurus melanostoma, . . Holt, "Sci. Proc. Roy. Dub. Soc," vii., pp. 121, 



219. 



A young specimen was trawled at 144 fathoms, 30 miles off Acliill Head, on 

 4th July, 1890. Three mature examples were taken on the lines at 154 fathoms, 

 28 miles off Achill Head, on 20th April, 1891, and another at 250 fathoms, 

 45 miles off Black Rock, Co. Mayo, on 12th May, 1891. Considering the limited 

 extent of our fishing operations below the 100-fathom line, it seems probable that 

 the species is fairly abundant in the deep waters off the west coast. It was never 

 encountered in shallow waters during the survey ; and such accounts as exist of 

 its capture at various parts of the coasts of the United Kingdom give no par- 

 ticulars of the deptlis. A single young specimen was taken by the " Flying Fox " 

 at 150 fathoms (Giinther), while on the Norwegian coast it has been recorded from 

 250 fathoms (CoUett). Thus though the Black-mouthed dogfish has most pro- 

 bably been occasionally met with in comparatively shallow water in the British 

 area, the balance of the evidence seems to show that it is on the whole a deep-sea 

 fish in the Northern parts of the Atlantic, whereas it is well known as a common 

 littoral form in the Mediterranean. 



Fam.— SPINACID^. 

 Genus Acanthias, Risso. 

 Acanthias vulgaris, Risso. The Picked Dogfish. (Deep-sea.) 

 Acanthias vulgaris, .... Holt, " Sci. Proc. Roy. Dub. Soc," vii., p. 219. 



At 154 fathoms, coast of Mayo. Common in littoral waters.. 



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