SPINACJD^E. 319 



Genus II— Centjrina, Cuvier, 



Oxynotus, Rafinesque. 



Spiracles wide and placed immediately behind the eye. Gill-openings narrow. 

 Mouth narrow, with a deep lateral groove. No nictitating membrane to the eye. 

 Teeth in lower jaw rather small, triangular, erect, and with their edges finely serrated. 

 Those in the upper jaio in a group anteriorly and of a slender and conical form. 

 Each dorsal fin with a strong spine arising at or behind the centre of its base. A 

 fold of shin runs along either edge of the abdomen as well as along the bach between 

 the dorsal fins. 



1. Centrina salviani, Plate CLXI. 



Centrina, Rondel, p. 384; Salvian. p. 157 ; Gesner, De Aquat. p. 609 ; Aldrov. 

 p. 401 ; Jonston, Pise. lib. i, p. 28, t. vii, f . 4, 5 ; Willughby, lib. iii, p. 58, t. B2, 

 and 133 ; Ray, Synop. Pise. p. 21. Vulpecula, Belon. pp. 63, 64. Galeus 

 centrina, Gesner, p. 1046. Squalus, sp. no. 5, Artedi, Synon. p. 95 and Genera, 

 p. 67. Galeus, sp. no. 7, Klein, Mss. iii, p. 10. 



Squalus centrina, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 398; Block, t. cxv ; Gmel. Linn. 

 p. 1502 ; Lacep. i, p. 276, pi. ix, f. 3; Bonnaterre, Ency. Ich. p. 12, pi. v, f. 13; 

 Shaw, Zool. v, pt. ii, p. 340, pi. cliii ; Bl. Schn. p. 134 ; Briinn. Pise. Mass. p. 3 ; 

 Risso, Ich. Nice, p. 42. 



Oxynotus centrina, Rafin. Ind. pp. 45, 60 ; Gray, Catal. Cart. Fish. p. 72 ; 

 Gill, Anal. Syn. Squa. Ann. Lye. N. York, vii, p. 405 ; Dumeril, Ich. i, p. 444, 

 pi. v, f. 8, 9 (scales). 



Squalus (Acanthorhinus) centrina, Blainv. Fann. France, p. 61, t. xv, f. 1. 



Centrina salviani, Risso, Eur. Merid. iii, p. 135 ; Bonap. Fauna Ital. Pesc. 

 pi. cxli, f. 2 ; Miiller and Henle, p. 87 ; Bocage and Capello, Peix. Plagiost. p. 32 ; 

 Guichen. Explor. Sc. Algeria, Poiss. p. 126; Giinther, Catal. viii, p. 417; 

 Canestrini, Pesc. Ital. p. 41 ; Giglioli, Pesc. Ital. Catal. p. 52. 



Centrina humautin, Cloquet, Diet. Sc. Nat. vii, p. 385, pi. xxxi. 



Centrina oxynotus, Swainson, Fiskes, ii, p. 315. 



Centrina vulpecula, Moreau, Poiss. de la France, i, p. 355, f. 61. 



Body somewkat triangular. Head flattened ; snout short and obtuse. A bony 

 ridge over the orbits. Eyes — rather large. Spiracles large, nearly triangular, 

 and placed a short distance behind the orbit. Mouth small, with rather fleshy lips. 

 Nostrils near to the end of the snout. Teeth — a single row of about nine flattened, 

 erect, triangular teeth in the lower jaw, which have their edges serrated : those in 

 the upper jaw slender, conical, and in a group anteriorly. Gill-openings — small. 

 'Fins — the first dorsal fin commences in the form of a ridge at the occuput and is 

 higher than its base is long, a strong spine commences from behind the middle 

 of its base and passing upwards emerges somewhat forwards near the upper third 

 of the anterior edge of the fin: second dorsal having its anterior portion above the 

 ventral and a spine commencing behind the centre of its base, which passing 

 upwards and somewhat backwards emerges near the upper third of the anterior 

 edge of the fin. Caudal lobes not well developed. Along tke back and at each 

 angle of the abdomen is a keel of skin. Skin covered with somewhat rough 

 scales. Colours— when just captured the Cornwall specimen was dark cinereous 

 in blotches over the back and of a light cinereous on the belly ; whereas now it 

 is very dark brown. Name — La Humantin, French. 



Habits. — Is supposed to inhabit great depths. As food — useless. 



Habitat. — Mediterranean and coasts of Portugal, and the Bay of Biscay so far 

 north as the mouth of the Loire (Moreau). A straggler in 1877 was obtained by 

 Mr. Cornish off Cornwall where it was trawled in 26 fathoms-water near the 

 Wolf lighthouse (Zool. 1877, p. 221). In Pontoppidan's " Natural History of 

 Norway," this fish is figured plate ciii, as the Haac-ho3ring, which is described at 

 p. 115, and Bloeh (Ich. pt. in, p. .AV) says it is termed Purh-Haae or Haa-hiaering 

 in Norway. The example figured is 25 inches long, and in the collection of 

 Sir J. St. Anbin. This fish is said to attain to 4 or 5 feet in leneth. 



