Fishes of the Western North Atlantic 259 



females by maturity, and over the lower surface of the snout as a whole anterior to the 

 nostril in mature males. ^'''' 



Snout in front of orbits about 2.4-2.5 times as long as distance between orbits 

 in adult males, a little longer relatively in adult females; its length in front of mouth 

 about 1.3— 1.7 times as long as distance between nostrils. Orbit about 75-100 "/q as 

 long as distance between orbits in small specimens, relatively a little shorter in large, 

 and about 1.2— 1.4 times as long as spiracle. Distance between first gill openings 1.8 — 

 2.1 times as long as distance between exposed nostrils, 1.4— 1.7 times between fifth 

 gill openings; first gill openings i. 0—1.3 times as long as fifth and about 15-20 "/o 

 as long as breadth of mouth. Nasal curtain fringed, the expanded posterior (outer) 

 margin of nostril either smooth or coarsely or finely fringed, not always alike on the 

 two sides. Mouth only a little more arched in adult males than in females and young. 



Teeth 35^46) with round bases and low cusps, worn nearly smooth in oldest 

 rows but conical in youngest, close-set in quincunx in young specimens but teeth more 

 loosely spaced and the series more nearly transverse in older ones; those of adult males 

 only slightly sharper and spaced only a little more widely than in females. 



First and second dorsals similar in size and shape, either confluent at base or 

 separated by an interspace up to nearly half as long as base of first dorsal. Caudal mem- 

 brane posterior to base of second dorsal about 1/4 as long as base of first dorsal sub- 

 sequent to loss of filamentous embryonic prolongation. Pelvics moderately concave 

 and scalloped from base of excavation rearward; anterior margin about 55—72 "/q as 

 long as distance from its own origin to rear tip of pelvic in large specimens, about 

 78-86 "/o in small of both sexes; anterior lobe broad, including about five radials; 

 outer margin of posterior lobe moderately convex, rear corner narrowly rounded. 

 Claspers of sexually mature male conspicuously robust, extending rearward about ^/g 

 the distance from axils of pelvics toward first dorsal. 



Anterior rays of pectorals extending about ^Is—^U of the distance forward from 

 level of front of orbits toward tip of snout. 



Color. Upper surface brown, either uniform or partially clouded or spotted with 

 darker; small specimens often spotted more definitely than older ones; sometimes a 

 white spot beside each eye, one on each side opposite the nuchal region, and another 

 on each side on the posterior part of the disc. Lower surface white, sometimes with 

 irregular sooty or brownish blotches. 



Remarks. The North American form, R. scabrata, has been separated from R. radiata 

 of the eastern Atlantic because it is "larger, less rough, and rather more angular" and 

 because the small prickles are more sparsely scattered or absent from considerable 

 areas. 1^" But our own examination of the series listed under Study Material (p. 255) 

 has failed to show any consistent differences in any of these respects between those 

 from American, West Greenland, or Norwegian waters. "^ 



109. These areas are smooth on a mature male 540 mm long from South Carolina, 

 no. Garman, Mem. Harv. Mus. comp. Zool., j6, 191 3: 340. 



III. Some specimens from Norway that we have seen are densely prickly over the upper surface as a whole, except 

 for the anterior lobes of the pelvics; but another specimen from the same region has only a few scattered prickles, 



17* 



