The Emhryology of Chlamydoselachus 



541 



in.), and the smallest ever put on record was taken by the Prince of Monaco at Funchal, 

 Madeira, in 1889. Gollett (1890) found this to be a female only 610 mm. (24 in.) long. 

 He notes that it differed from typical adults from Japan only in insignificant details. He 

 gives no figure. 



THE REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS OF THE MALE 

 CHLAMTDOSELACHL/S 



In general, the internal reproductive organs of the male frilled shark are like those of 

 the other elasmobranchs. They have been figured and described by Smith in the preced- 

 ing article of this volume. Here it is necessary to present only a brief account of the 

 external organs of reproduction in the male. 



MYXOPTERYGIA— EXTERNAL ORGANS OF THE MALE 



The male shark has the curious intromittent organs, peculiar to the elasmobranchs, 

 called the myxopterygia or claspers. They are modifications of the hinder inner parts of 

 the pelvic fins of the male shark or ray. These secondary sex organs, as Text'figure 5 



Text-figure 5. 

 A 1500'mm. (?) male frilled shark from the Odowara Bank, 

 Sea of Sagami, Japan. Note the large myxopterygia or claspers. 

 These are developed from the inner parts of the pelvic fins. 

 The claspers help the male shark to hold the female during 

 copulation. 

 After Doflein, 1906, p. 257. 



Text-figure 6 

 Ventral view of the pelvic region of a male Chlamydoselachus, 

 showing myxopterygia or claspers. Through the tubular 

 claspers, the seminal fluid is introduced into the cloaca of the 

 female. This is necessary since in all sharks impregnation of 

 the eggs is internal. The cloacal aperture may be seen be- 

 tween the bases of the myxopterygia. 



Cat)., projection of cavity. 

 After Leigh-Sharpe, 1926, Fig. 1, p. 308. 





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