short labial groove. Teeth about 25 in both jaws, serrated. Origin of 1st dorsal some distance behind base of pectoral. form. Length.-Up to 1000 mm. Pectoral falci Colour.-Grey, whitish below; ends of all the fins black. Locality.-Cape and Natal seas. Distribution.-Indian Ocean to S. Pacific. Mr. R. Robinson records specimens up to 477 lb. caught off the Natal coast. *Carcharinus zambesensis (Peters). River Shark. Native names in the Tette district: maschipunde and tschindaingo. 1868. Peters, Reise Mossamb., vol. iv, p. 7, pl. i, fig. 2. 1909. Boulenger, Freshwater Fishes of Africa, vol. i, p. 2, fig. 1. Snout rounded, its preoral length less than width of mouth. A very short labial groove not extending on either jaw. Teeth about 27 in upper, 25 in lower jaw, serrated, with a small non-serrated median tooth. Origin of 1st dorsal just behind base of pectoral. Pectoral falciform. Length.-Up to 760 mm. Colour.-Grey, whitish below. Locality.-Zambesi River, 120 miles from coast (Tette). This shark is closely allied to, and may even prove synonymous with, the well-known C. gangeticus, which is found in the Ganges, Tigris, and other rivers, where it attacks bathers. Carcharinus obscurus (Leseur). Dusky Shark. 1818. Leseur, J. Ac. Nat. Sci. Philad., vol. i, p. 223, pl. ix. 1870. Günther, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus., vol. viii, p. 366. 1913. Garman, Mem. Mus. Comp. Zool., vol. xxxvi, p. 130. Snout somewhat produced, preoral length not much less than width of mouth. Teeth 29-30 in each jaw, oblique, on broad bases; the upper with outer margin excised, lower more slender than upper, both finely serrulate, the lower ones very minutely and chiefly only on the base. Gill-slits much wider than orbit. First dorsal originating immediately behind base of pectoral, which is falciform. Second dorsal slightly smaller than, and opposite to or very slightly behind, anal. Length.-Up to 8 ft. 6 in. (stuffed specimen in South African Museum). Colour.-Uniform greyish, lighter below. Locality. Table Bay. Distribution.-N. and S. Atlantic, Canary Islands. This specimen is the only record of this species from South African waters. Carcharinus glaucus (Rond.). Blue Shark. 1870. Günther, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus., vol. viii, p. 364. 1913. Garman, Mem. Mus. Comp. Zool., vol. xxxvi, p. 145, pl. iii, figs. 1-3. Snout pointed, its preoral length much greater than width of mouth. A very short labial groove at angle of mouth. Teeth of upper jaw slightly oblique, triangular; of lower jaw slender, lanceolate on broad bases, serrated. Origin of 1st dorsal nearer ventrals than pectoral. Pectoral long falciform. Length.-Up to 25 ft. Colour.-Deep blue above, whitish below; the blue colour, however, fades to a dull blackish grey after death. Locality. Agulhas Bank. Distribution.-Cosmopolitan. Carcharinus limbatus M. and H. Black-fin Shark. 1838-41. Müller and Henle, Plagiost., p. 49, pl. xix, fig. 2 (Teeth). 1878. Day, Fish. India, p. 716, pl. clxxxiv, fig. 2. 1920. Robinson, Natal Fish. Rep. for 1919, p. 50. Snout rather pointed, its preoral length almost equal to width of mouth. A very short labial groove. Teeth 30, similar in both jaws, but upper somewhat stouter and more distinctly serrated, erect, constricted. Origin of 1st dorsal very close behind axil of pectoral. Length.-Up to 63 ft. Colour.-Grey, with the extremities of the fins black. Locality.-Natal coast. Distribution. Tropical Atlantic and Indo-Pacific Oceans. Mr. R. Robinson states that this is the commonest shark in Natal and a very sporting fish. |