Fishes of the Westerfi Nortfi Atlantic 139 



Propleygia Miiller and Hcnlc, Charlcsworlh Mag. Nat. Hist., 2, 1838: 90, footnote; equals Proplerygia Otto 



1821. 

 Laeviraja Bonaparte, Icon. Fauna ItaL, j Fasc. 23, 1839: in descr. oi L. oxyrychus, pi. not numbered; equi- 

 valent to Laevirajia Bonaparte 1838. 

 Balis Bonaparte, Mem. Soc. Neuchatel Sci. Nat., 2, 1839: 7, extra; type species. Raja radnia Delaroche 1809. 



Balearic Isles, Mediterranean. Not Batis Boie 1833, for birds. 

 Hicroptera Fleming, New philos. J. Edinb., JJ, 1841: 236, pi. 4; t}pe species, H. abrcdonensis Fleming. Scot- 



land.2« 

 Actinobatis Agassiz, L., Poiss. Foss., j, 1843: 372; type species, Raia ornata .'\gassiz, a fossil. 

 Eleutherocephalus Agassiz, L., Nom. Zool. Pise, 1846: 71, Index, 136; substituted for Cephaleutherus Rafi- 



nesque 18 10. 

 Perioptera Gistel, Naturg. Tier., 1848: X; nomen nudum \ perhaps a misspelling for Hieroptera Fleming 1841. 



Not seen. 

 Peropera Gistel, Naturg. Tier., 1848: X; same as Perioptera Gistel 1848. Not seen. 

 Amblyraja Malm, Goteborgs och Bohuslans Fauna, 1877: 607; type species, Raia radiata Donovan 1807. 



Northern Great Britain. 

 Leucoraja Malm, Goteborgs och Bohuslans Fauna, \%1l: 609; type species. Raja fullonica Linnaeus 1758. 



European seas. 

 Alpharaia Leigh-Sharpe, J. Morph., jp, 1924: 567, 568; type species, "Raja circularis, the Cuckoo Ray."^^ 

 Betaraia Leigh-Sharpe, J. Morph., J9, 1924: 568; type species. Raja clavata Linnaeus 1758. European seas. 

 Gammaraia Leigh-Sharpe, J. Morph., J9, 1924: 567, 571 ; type species. Raja batis Linnaeus 1758. European seas. 

 Deitaraia Leigh-Sharpe, J. Morph., jp, 1924: 567, 573; type species, Raia radiata Donovan 1807. Northern 



Great Britain. 

 Epsi/onraia Leigh-Sharpe, J. Morph., J9, 1924: 567, 574; type species. Raja platana Giinther 1880. Estuary 



of Rio de la Plata. 

 Zetaraia Leigh-Sharpe, J. Morph., jy, 1924: 567, 575; type species. Raja brachyura Giinther 1880. Straits 



of Magellan and westward. 

 Etaraia Leigh-Sharpe, J. Morph., J9, 1924: 567, 576; type species. Raja murrayi Giinther. Kerguelen I. 

 Thetaraia Leigh-Sharpe, J. Morph., J9, 1924: 567, 577; type species. Raja eatonii Giinther 1876. Kerguelen I. 

 lotaraia Leigh-Sharpe, J. Morph., J9, [924: 567, 577; type species. Raja marginata Lacepede 1802— 1803. 



France and England. 

 Spiniraja (subgenus) Whitley, .'Vust. Zool., 9, 1939: 251; type species, Raja [Spiniraja) ogilbyi Whitley. Au- 

 stralia.^* 

 Zearaja Whitley, Aust. Zool., 9, 1939: 254; type species. Raja nasuta Miiller and Henle 1841. New Zealand. 

 Pavoraja Whitley, Aust. Zool, 9, 1939: 254; type species, Raja nitida Ciiinther 1880. New South Wales. 

 Rioraja Whitley, Aust. Zool., 9, 1939: 254; proposed in substitution for Vraptera Miiller and Henle 1837, 



preoccupied by Billberg, 1820, for Lepidoptera. 

 Dentiraja (subgenus) Whitley, Fish, .'^ust., i, 1940: 184; type species. Raja dentata Klunzinger 1872. 

 Argoraja (subgenus) Whitley, Fish. Aust., i, 1940: 190; type species. Raja polyommata Ogilby 191 o. 



Generic Characters. Disc subquadrangular to rhomboid, the snout ranging from 

 short and obtuse to long and more pointed. Tail with a narrow ribband-like longitudinal 



24. A monstrosity similar to those described earlier under the generic names Cephaleutherus Rafinesque 1810 and Pro- 

 pterygia Otto 182 1. 



25. "Cuckoo" is the common name for Raja naei'us MuUer and Henle 1S41, not for Raja circularis Couch 1838. There- 

 fore it is doubtful which of these two species Leigh-Sharpe had in mind. For the history of R. circularis, see Clark 

 (Rep. Fish. Bd. Scot. [1926], i, 1926: 37). Leigh-Sharpe proposed the names Alpharaia, Betaraia, Gammaraia, 

 Deitaraia, Epsilonraia, Zetaraia, Etaraia, Thetaraia and lotaraia as "Pseudogenera"; but this term has no nomen 

 clatural standing. 



26. Spiniraja is characterized as differing "from true Raja in being very spiny above and below." But no spines are 

 indicated on Whitley's subsequent illustration (Fish. Aust., i, 1940: 186) of its lower surface; hence we cannot 

 judge whether it is actually any rougher below than are some species of typical Raja. Nor do we see any characters 

 to separate Whitley's genera Zearaja and Panjoraja, proposed without generic diagnoses (Aust. Zool., 9, 1939: 

 254), or his subgenera Dentiraja and Argoraja (Fish. Aust., i, 1940: 184, 190). 



