FISHERY BULLETIN: VOL. 70, NO. 2 



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Figure 3. — Regions of immature ratfish showing (A) the frontal tenaculum, (B) the 

 prepelvic tenacula, and (C) the claspers of the male; and (D) the absence of a frontal 

 tenaculum, and (E) the presence of small openings to the oviducts of the female. 



(Figure 4) . Attempts to age ratfish on the basis 

 of length-frequency distributions were incon- 

 clusive. 



When dry eye-lens weight was compared to 

 body length for specimens in the Newport col- 

 lection, lens weight was positively correlated 

 with increasing body length for males (A^ = 

 128), but was not correlated with body length 

 for females (N' = 56) (Figure 5), There was 

 no difference in the dry weights of the right and 

 left eye lens at the 95^^ level of confidence. Wet 

 eye-lens weights were similarly related to body 

 lengths with the coefficient of determination (r-) 

 for males being 0.8788 and 0.9292 for the right 

 and left eye lens respectively, and for females 



being 0.0017 and 0.0133 for the right and left 

 eye lens respectively. 



We can offer no logical explanation for the 

 lack of positive correlation between eye-lens 

 weight and body length for female ratfish. Data 

 for males and females were processed simulta- 

 neously and were consistent, by sex, for left and 

 right and for wet and dry eye-lens weights. 

 Because all but eight females exceeded 230 mm 

 in length, most eye-lens growth may take place 

 between birth (30-40 mm [Stanley, 1961]) 

 and maturity (240-250 mm [Stanley, 1961]). 

 The possibility of decreasing density of the 

 lens with size (and maturity) should be investi- 

 gated. 



426 



