85 



September 12tli, 1887. 

 Dr. Bostock in the Chair. 



Some observations were made by Dr. Andrew Smith, Corresp. 

 Member, on the necessity for a revision of the groups included in 

 the Linnean genus Squalus. 



Dr. Smith commenced with stating that in the course of his ex- 

 amination of the Sharks which he had obtained while at the Cape, 

 he found that although they could all readily be referred to the ge- 

 nus Squalus, as defined by Linnaeus, yet there were many forms among 

 them which would not admit of being placed in any of the subdi- 

 visions proposed by Cuvier, This led him to perceive the necessity 

 of either altogether remodelling Cuvier's groups, or of establishing 

 additional ones for the reception of the new species. After mature 

 consideration, he determined upon the adoption of the latter course, 

 finding the new forms so distinct and numerous that they could not 

 with propriety be included in any divisions which only ranked as 

 sub-genera. 



Dr. Smith stated that he could not attempt to indicate the higher 

 groups of the family of Squalidts, but he was satisfied that all the 

 sub-genera of Cuvier would receive such alterations and additions as 

 would raise them to the rank of sub-families. In the very first sub- 

 genus Scyllium, he had detected nine distinct minor groups, most of 

 which included several well-marked species. Since fixing upon names 

 for these groups, he had learned that several of them had been de- 

 scribed as genera about a month previously by Prof. Midler and Dr. 

 Henle of Berlin, and he had consequently adopted their nomencla- 

 ture in preference to the terms under which it was his intention to 

 have characterized them, with only this diiFerence, that he regarded 

 these divisions as sub-genera rather than genera. 



Dr. Smith enumerated the sections above referred to of the genus 

 Scyllium as follows : 



1. ScyZ/iwm, restricted, includes four species, Scyl. stellare, Linn., 

 Squalus Canicula, Bioch, Scyllium capense. Smith, Scyl. bivium, id. 



2. Catulus, Willoughby, (three species,) Squalus Canicula, Linn., 

 Scyl. marmoratum, Bennett, Catulus Edwardii, Smith. 



3. Poroderma, Smith, (four species, all found in the Cape seas,) 

 Scyllium Africanum, Cuv., Poroderma pantherinum. Smith, Por. sub- 

 maculatum, id. Por. variegatum, id. 



4. Ginglymostoma, Miiller and Henle, (one species) Squalus Gata, 

 Garra. 



5. Chiloscy Ilium, Miiller and Henle, (two species) Scyllium plagi- 

 osum, Bennett, Le Squale dentele, Lacep. 



6. Stegostoma, Miiller and Henle, (two species) Squalus fasciatus, 

 Bloch, Squal. maculatus, id. 



No. LVII. — Proceedings of the Zoological Society. 



