2S8 On a Species of Skate new to the British Fauna. 



HiEROTPERA (/gg£us sacerdos and itTi^ov ala) ; and I further 

 propose to designate the present species by the trivial name of 

 Ahredonensis^ to mark the locality where it was first observed. 

 The newest of the modern genera to which it approaches (for 

 with the Rhinoptera of KuhljOr the CEPHALOPXERAof Dumeril, 

 it is far from being closely connected) is perhaps the Propte- 

 BYGiA of Professor Otto, the relationship to which immediately 

 suggested itself to that profound ichthyologist Professor Agas- 

 siz, when I shewed him the specimen, during the visit with 

 which he favoured me in October last (1840). It differs, how- 

 ever, from the Propterygia in the condition of the pectorals 

 anteriorly, and in the absence of those lateral processes or 

 finlets which occur on each side of the head, .opposite to the 

 eyes. In other respects the differences are considerable ; but 

 as this genus was instituted in 1821 by A. G. Otto, M.D., of 

 Breslau, in his " Conspectus Animalium quorundam Mariti- 

 morum nondum editorum,"* for the reception of a skate found 

 by him in the Frith of Forth in 1818 or 1819, it may be use- 

 ful to the students of British ichthyology to give his remarks 

 entire and exactly in his own terms. This is the more neces- 

 sary, as his announcement of this addition to our fauna has 

 hitherto escaped the notice of those who have been occupied 

 in enumerating the species of fishes found on our coast. 



" Genus Propterygia mihi ; novum selachiorum genus. 



" Raja ; altero pinnamm pectoralluixi pari ad latera capitis a corpore 

 distinct! et in rostrum subacuminatum desinentes ; spiracula quinque,t 

 Cauda brevis absque aculeo. 



" Species. Propterygia hypostida milii ; corpore deprcsso^ glabro, in- 

 fra nigro-jjunctato ; aculeis ternis ad oculos ; caudaj unico aculeorum or- 

 dine et pinnis duabus superioribus^ una infcriore et ulteriore. 



*' Habitat in Sinu Edinburgensi."— P. 6. 



/ Fig. 1. Dorsal aspect of Hieroptera Abredonensis. 



PlntP TV )^^&- 2- Ventral aspect, 

 i-iaie 1 V . < pjg^ 3^ jjy^ ^^^ ^ blower. 



( Fig. 4. Moutb and nostrils. 

 Plate V i ^'^' ^' ^^^^^^ aspect of Propterygia hyposticta of Otto. 



j Fig. G. Ventra aspect of do. 

 King's College, Feb. 27. 1841. 



* I am indebted to my intelligent friend Dr Allen Thomson, Professor of 

 Anatomy in Marischal College, for an opportunity of consulting this treatise 

 of Professor Otto's. 



t Cephaloptera genus proximum, eorum sex pi*ffibet. Comparentur Nova 

 actaphysico-medica Academiae Cocsarea) Leopoldino-Carolina) Naturaj Curio, 

 sorum, torn, x. p. i. p. Ill, tab, v, vi., ubi descriptionem et figuras dedi. 



