Fishes of the W ester ?i North Atlantic 277 



Distinctive Characters. Raja teevani differs from all other raj ids in the western North 

 Atlantic in the shape of its tail which widens rearward toward the dorsal fins (in all 

 other rajids it narrows rearward). It resembles R. olseni and R. laevis in general appear- 

 ance and in lacking thorns along the midbelt of the disc from the level of the axils of 

 the pectorals to the vicinity of the spiracles. But it differs from olseni in having no inter- 

 space between the bases of the dorsal fins. From laevis of comparable size it may be 

 separated by its longer snout (distance from tip of snout to eye about V4-V3 the width 

 of disc in teevani, but only about Vs in laevis) and by the fact that the anterior margin 

 of the pelvic fin is longer than the distance from its own origin to the rear tip of the 

 pelvic (shorter in laevis). 



Description. Proportional dimensions in per cent of total length. Male, 558 mm 

 (U. S. Nat. Mus., No. 153557), and male, 302 mm (Harv. Mus. Comp. Zool., No. 

 37189), from the Gulf of Mexico. 



Disc: extreme breadth 72.7, 73.5; length 58.2, 54.4. 



Snout length: in front of orbits 22.2, 19.2; in front of mouth 24.2, 20.9. 



Orbits: horizontal diameter 3.2, 3.5; distance between 4.1, 2,-S- 



Spiracles: length 2.0, 1.8; distance between 6.1, 6.3. 



Mouth: breadth 7.7, 7.0. 



Exposed nostrils: distance between inner ends 8.7, 8.3. 



Gill openings: length, ist 1.7, 1.2; 3rd 1.8, 1.3; 5th 1.2, i.o; distance between 

 inner ends, ist 13.8, 14.4; 5th 8.4, 8.6. 



First dorsal fin: vertical height 2.7, 2.3; length of base 4.3, 4.6. 



Second dorsal fin: vertical height 2.7, 2.3; length of base 4.0, 4.6. 



Pelvics: anterior margin 14.7, 14.0. 



Distance: from tip of snout to center of cloaca 51.7, 47.0; from center of cloaca 

 to 1st dorsal 34.3, 34-8; to tip of tail 48.3, 53.0; from rear end of 2nd 

 dorsal base to tip of tail 5.4, 9.3. 



Interspace between: ist and 2nd dorsals 0.0, 0.0. 



Disc 1.25— 1.35 times as broad as long, the maximum anterior angle in front of 

 spiracles about 70° ; anterior margins sinuous from snout to outer corners, convex op- 

 posite a little in front of orbits; outer corners sharply rounded; posterior margins gently 

 convex; posterior corners broadly rounded. Axis of greatest breadth about 77 % of 

 distance from tip of snout toward axils of pectorals. Tail with a lateral fold low down 

 on each side beginning almost imperceptibly about opposite tips of pelvics, widening 

 rearward and ending opposite middle of caudal fin; its length from center of cloaca to 

 origin of first dorsal fin 0.66—0.74 ^^ great as, to its tip 0.93— i.i times as great as, 

 distance from center of cloaca to tip of snout. 



One or two small thorns along inner anterior margin of orbit and another one on 

 posterior margin; minute prickles scattered over interorbital area and over entire disc 

 anterior to orbits; tail with a median row of 15 thorns pointing backward, beginning 

 about an eye's diameter posterior to axils of pelvics and ending a little in front of first 



