| OCR Text |
Show 1883.] PROF. FLOWER ON THE DELPHINID^E. 499 In the Paris Museum are 12 skulls of this form of Clymenia, presenting the same diversities of character. They are mostly referred to D. dubius, Cuvier, though it is impossible now to say which were the identical specimens upon which he founded the species. One is a very important specimen, the nearly complete skeleton and also the stuffed skin being preserved with it. It belongs to the Steno attenuatus type, and is named Delphinus brevimanus, Hombron & Jacquinot, 'Voy. de 1'Astrolabe,' Zoologie, 1840, pl. 21. It comes from Malacca. The extreme length of the skull is 405 millim. It is not distinguishable from others marked D. dubius. The vertebrae are: C. 7, D. 13, L. & C. 56 = 76, but possibly one or two are wanting from the end of the tail. The general form of the vertebrae is like that of D. delphis. The form and arrangement of the bones of the manus, as figured by Gervais, are exactly like those of C. marginata (euphrosyne). Another skull of the same form is stated to be from Madagascar. Of the broad form (Clymenia doris, Gray), one is called D. dubius, from St. Helena. One called D. franatus, F. Cuvier, from Cape Verd, sent by Dussumier, is exactly like the figure of D. doris in ' Zool. Erebus and Terror,' plate 20 ; and another is marked D. frontalis, Dussumier, also from Cape Verd. The under surfaces of these two are figured in Gervais's 'Osteographie,' pl. xxxviii. figs. 4 and 5. The length of different skulls of this group (or species?) in the Paris Museum varies between 383 and 420 millim., and the number of the teeth from 36 to 45 on each side of each jaw. D. A fourth distinct form of Clymenia is characterized by a very narrow cranium, a long, slender rostrum, and numerous fine teeth, about 50 or more in number on each side above and below. The type of this group is Gray's D. longirostris (' Spicilegia,' p. 1, 1828),formerly in the museum of Joshua Brookes, andnow at Leiden. It was redescribed and figured by Schlegel in his ' Abhandlungen'; but notwithstanding his clear statement (which I have myself verified by an examination of the specimen) that " die beiden tiefen Rinnen, welche beim gemeinen Delphin auf der Unterseite des Oberkiefes hinlaufen, und sich bis an dessen vorderes Drittel erstrecken, fehlen hier ganzlich," it was retained by Gray in all his successive lists at the head of the restricted genus Delphinus, characterized by " Palate with a deep groove on each side." This error has caused much confusion, separating it from its nearest congeners, and inducing Gervais to refer to the same species one of the true Dolphins, which is really not allied to it. The skull appears to be that of a young animal. Its entire length is 425 millim., of which the rostrum occupies 280 ; the greatest breadth of the cranium is 153 millim. ; the width of the rostrum at the base 72 millim. The teeth are very small and slender, about 5C on each side in each jaw. The skulls in the British Museum which may be referred to this section are named, according to Gray's ' Synopsis,' p. 6 :- Clymenia (Micropia.) stenorhyncha. Clymenia (Euphrosyne ) microps. Clymenia (Euphrosyne) alope. |
