SCYMNORIIINIDyE. 31 



rounded off. Pectorals and ventrals are short, broad, and rounded on the 

 margins, except hi case of the hinder angle of the ventrals, which is sharp. 



Deep black, with a narrow edging of white on each of the fins excepting 

 the caudal. 



This description is taken from a specimen of eleven and one-half inches 

 in length. 



On a small individual, of four and three quarters inches, slight differ- 

 ences in the outlines and in the positions of the fins are presented ; the 

 pectorals reach backward of the first dorsal spine, the spine of tlie 

 second dorsal stands above the hind part of the bases of the ventrals, 

 the eye is proportionally larger and the snout is shorter, the white of 

 the margins of dorsals, pectorals, and ventrals is much broader, and the 

 color of the muscular portions of the body is brown. 



SCYMNORHINID^. 



Scymnorhinini Bonaparte, 18-46, in part. 



The typical species of this family, Sc>/mnorhmns licha, is a small shark 

 of the Mediterranean sea and the neighboring parts of the Atlantic. It 

 was first described by Broussonet, in 1780, under the name " Liche," after- 

 ward named Sqtialus Ucha by Bonnaterre, in 1788, and in the .same or the 

 following year described by Gmelin with the name Sqnaliis americmius. In 

 1810, Risso described and renamed the species Sqiialus nicceensis. Blainville, 

 1820-30, fixed upon the name Squahis {Acaniliorhinus) americanus . Cuvier 

 first applied the name Sci/mnus to the genus. The compound Scymnus lichia 

 was made by Bonaparte, who also named its subfamily Scymnini, subse- 

 quently, on account of prior application of Scymnus among insects, replac- 

 ing these names by Scyimiorhiniis and Scz/mnorkbimi. The family has been 

 named Dalatiidce by authors able to satisfy themselves that the species de- 

 scribed by Rafinesque, 1810, as Dalatias sparophagiis is identical with 

 Scymnorhinus licha. The grounds for this conclusion appear to be the 

 occurrence of the latter in the locality assigned the former, and absence of 

 the shark actually described and figured by Rafinesque. The facts in the 

 case are far from supporting the position. Bcnnaterre's species, S. licha, 



