Fishes of the JVester?i North Atlantic 93 



A character more useful as the primary alternative for specific identification is 

 whether the rear end of the first dorsal base is considerably posterior to the rear ends 

 of the pelvic fin bases or is level with or even anterior to the latter.^^ 



All of the four species of Torpedo known from the Atlantic (7". torpedo Linnaeus 

 1758; T.marmorata Risso 18 10; T. nobiliana Bonaparte 1835; ^"^ T.puelcha Lahille 

 1928) fall in the group in which the first dorsal base extends rearward well beyond 

 the pelvic bases.^* Among these, T. marmorata of the eastern Atlantic and JVIediter- 

 ranean is recognizable by the prominent papillae that surround its spiracles; T. torpedo, 

 also of the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean, has a conspicuous color pattern with 

 a few large blue-centered ocelli •j'^^ T. nobiliana, from both the eastern and western North 

 Atlantic, is recognizable by its plain coloration and smooth spiracles and by an inter- 

 space between its second dorsal and caudal that is little longer than the base of the 

 first dorsal; T.puelcha from Argentina is identifiable by the long interspace between 

 its second dorsal and caudal fins (Key, p. 94), also by plain coloration and smooth 

 spiracles. 



Two more Torpedoes are known in which the first dorsal extends far rearward; 

 sinus-persicus Olfers 1831, Indian Ocean, with papillate spiracles, and a smooth-spir- 

 acled form of problematic identity, from Agulhas Bank (South Africa).^" 



The subdivision of the genus in which the base of the first dorsal terminates at 

 a level with the rear ends of the pelvic fin bases, or anterior thereto, known only from 

 the western Pacific and Indian oceans so far, includes one group of two species (T.fair- 

 childi Hutton 1872 and T. macneilli Whitley 1932) in which the edges of the spiracles 

 are smooth and another group of named forms ^' in which the spiracles bear more or 

 less obvious papillae. All of these have been united recently with T. marmorata of the 

 eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean. ^^ But they all differ from T. marmorata in the 

 position of the first dorsal, which has the rear end of its base at least as far anterior as 

 the rear ends of the bases of the pelvics (well posterior to the rear ends of the pelvic 

 bases in marmorata). They are regarded here as representing two species, T. panthera 

 Olfers 1 83 1 and T.fuscomaculata Peters 1855.^" 



53. The number of columns in each electric organ was proposed as the primary specific character by DuBois Reymond 

 (Arch. Anat. Physiol., Leipzig [1882], Physiol. Abt., 1882: 400; Rep. Brit. Ass., 1882: 542), for it differs in differ- 

 ent Torpedoes and increases but little from birth onward. 



54. The illustration of T. marmorata by Rey (Fauna Iberica, Peces, i, 1928: pi. 9, fig. 2) shows the rear end of the 

 base of the first dorsal about even with the rear ends of the bases of the pelvics. Actually it is considerably posterior 

 thereto in the specimens we have examined, and it has been so described repeatedly. 



55. For identification of occasional specimens of T. torpedo that may be plain-colored, see Key to Species, alternatives 

 8b (p. 94) and lib (p. 95). 



56. Reported first by Thompson (Mar. bid. Rep. Cape Town, 2, 1914: 159) as Torpedo hcbetatu and subsequently 

 by Barnard (Ann. S. Afr. Mus., 21 [i], 1925: 89) as T. nobiliana. 



57. Torpedo panthera Olfers 1831; T.fuscomaculata Peters 1855; T.polleni (Bleeker) 1866; T.suessi Steindachner 1S98; 

 probably also T.zugmayeri Engelhardt 1912. 



58. By Fowler (Bull. U. S. nat. Mus., 100 [/j], 1941 : 343). The Raja maculata and K. bicolor of Shaw (Gen. Zool., 

 5, 1804: 316) from India, based on Russell's illustrations (Fish. Coromandel, i, 1803: pis. i, 2) of his "Temeree" 

 and of his "Nalla Temeree," are also listed by Fowler as synonyms of Torpedo marmorata. But he refers the first 

 of these to Narcine on another page (BuU. U. S. nat. Mus., 100 [zj], 1941: 333), no doubt correctly; Shaw's Raja 

 bicolor was evidently a Narcine also. 



59. We follow Fraser-Brunner (Ann. Mag. nat. Hist., [12] 2, 1949: 943). 



