224 



THE PLAGIOSTOMIA. 



larger than the first, spine above the hind parts of the bases of the ventrals, 

 base behind the spine Httle more than half its distance from the supracaiidal; 

 upper angle rounded, hinder produced; hind margin concave. Origins of 

 ventrals midway from the middle of the orbit to the end of the caudal. Caudal 

 nearly one fourth of the total length, subcaudal angle little produced, a shallow 

 notch below in front of the terminal. Scales setiform, rather closely and uni- 

 formly placed. 



Total length 17?, snout to vent 10^, snout to dorsal 5|, snout to pectorals 3| 

 snout to mouth I5, and caudal 4| inches. 



Back and flanks rusty brownish on the northern variety, E. spinax, darken- 

 ing with age, brown to black on the southern variety, E. niger; lower surfaces 

 black. The black areas are similar to those shown for E. hillianus, Plate 10, 

 fig. 1, the pattern apparently being generic. The young of the two varieties are 

 much alike. A specimen of the southern form from Nice, of less than four inches 

 in length shows the back light brownish and the belly black; a white area ex- 

 tends back from the eye to meet a white band from the angle of the mouth and 

 another farther back in front of the gill opening extending forward toward the 

 sj'mphysis of the lower jaws; a white band above the bases of the pectorals runs 

 back to the pelvis where it sends a process in front of the ventral then continues 

 above its base and behind it under the tail unites with its fellow from the other 

 side; behind this junction there is a transverse area which on the lower half of 

 the flank expands forward beyond the ventral and backward below the second 

 dorsal; above the light band at the side of the abdomen there is an indefinite 

 band of dark; a streak of dark marks the course of the lateral line on the side; 

 below the base of the pectorals and on the ventrals and along each side of the 

 subcaudal base appear short bands or lines of dark; the bases of the dorsal spines 

 are black as are also the lower angle of the subcaudal and the end of the terminal 

 fin ; and there is a white spot on the fontanel and one above the "hind part of each 

 orbit. The lower edge of the upper portion of the forward half of the orbit, as 

 in other species, is pigmented with black; an aid to vision functional in con- 

 nection with luminosity. 



Mediterranean Sea and northward off the coasts of Europe. 



Etmoptf.rus hillianus. 



Plate 10, fig. 1-4. 



Sjdnax hillianus Poey, 1861, Memorias Cuba, 2, p. 34, pi. 19, f. 13-14; 1868, Repertorio, 2, p. 454; 



Regan, 1908, Ann. mag. nat. hist., ser. 8, 2, p. 44. 

 Spinax spinax Poey, 1876, An. Soc. Esp. hist, nat., 5, p. 203. 

 Etmopterus pusillus Goode & Bean, 1896, Mem. M. C. Z., 22, p. 10, pL 2, f. 5 



