SCYLIORHINIDAE

FAMILY SCYLIORHINIDAE View in CoL

Externally, the scyliorhinid tail has a low ventral lobe, sometimes almost absent, and a triangular terminal lobe. Anterior to the caudal fin skeleton of Scyliorhinus and Apristurus there is a large fragmented plate, almost twice the usual basiventral length. The caudal fin skeleton of Scyliorhinidae has 43–71 vertebral centra (VC) ( Table 1). In all examined species, the basidorsal and interdorsal cartilages are truncated, and most supraneural spines are slender and elongated ( Figs 1 View Figure 1 , 2 View Figure 2 ). The caudal fin skeletons of Atelomycterus , Schroederichthys , Galeus , Apristurus and Scyliorhinus are not divided into anterior and posterior diplospondylic regions (Table 2). In general, the haemal spines are flattened and stout ( Figs 1 View Figure 1 , 2 View Figure 2 ). The anteriormost spines can be fused together in Apristurus and Scyliorhinus ( Figs 1 View Figure 1 , 2 View Figure 2 ) and are slender in Schroederichthys and Galeus .