Fishes of the Western North Atlantic 131 



but somewhat more pointed in large; axis slightly raised; depth below tip of axis a 

 little less than height above it; its length nearly as great as distance from origin of first 

 dorsal to rear end of base of second dorsal. Pelvics conspicuously thick and fleshy, 

 their origin either about opposite termination of pectorals or a little anterior; anterior 

 margins nearly straight; outer corners broadly and evenly arcuate; outer margins 

 ranging from nearly straight to slightly concave when fins are fully spread, but more 

 or less wrinkled or even folded transversely when relaxed in what appears to be the more 

 natural position ; inner margins of pelvics attached to sides of tail to extreme tips in 

 both sexes by loose skin posterior to last radial cartilage; extreme length of pelvic, 

 origin to tip, about half as great as breadth of disc, or a little less. Claspers of male 

 originating a little anterior to posterior limit of pelvics and a little inward from outer 

 pelvic margin. 



Electric organs more or less apparent externally (when viewed from below), the 

 honeycomb structure showing through overlying skin; 200—220 columns in each 

 organ of specimen 430 mm long. 



Color. Upper surface a delicate fawn color, clouded more or less with darker and 

 paler and sometimes with a few small white spots irregularly distributed, shading to 

 paler fawn or whitish along margins of disc, around spiracles, on sides of anterior 

 part of tail and on upper parts of dorsals. Lower surface pure white or with pale yel- 

 lowish or brownish tinge. After many years of preservation, a specimen from the con- 

 tinental slope is light ochre brown and but little paler below. 



Size. The length at birth is less than 81—87 "^^n (smallest trawled by us off Cuba), 

 the maximum recorded length (type specimen) 490 mm (19 Vie i^i-)- The size at which 

 the two sexes mature is not known. 



Developmental Stages. Embryos have not been seen. 



Habits. This species is known only from depths ranging from 1 50 fathoms (young) 

 down to 504 fathoms (adults) and at temperatures from as low as 5.5-8° C (42-46° F) 

 on the continental slope of the southeastern United States to higher than i i°C (52° F) 

 off Cuba. Presumably it lives on or near the bottom. Part of the leg of a small crustacean 

 is the only recognizable object that was found among the partially digested stomach 

 contents of two Cuban specimens. 



Range. Continental slope off South Carolina and Florida at 350—503 fathoms; 

 off the north coast of Cuba, where young specimens appear to be generally distributed 

 along the zone between the 150-200 fathom and 350 fathom contours (taken at 24 

 stations out of a total of 166).'" 



Synonyms and References: 



Benthobatis marcida Bean and Weed, Proc. U. S. nat. Mus., j6, 1909: 677 (descr., meas., ill., color, size. 



Albatross Sta. on continental slope off mid-Florida, 504 fath.); Garman, Mem. Harv. Mus. comp. 



Zool., j6, 1913: 295 (descr. after Bean and Weed, 1909). 



179. 103 trawl hauls off northern Cuba at depths greater than 351 fathoms failed to yield any specimens, large or 

 small, though adults are known to descend to depths a little greater than 500 fathoms off the southeastern United 

 States. 



