Fishes of the JVestern North Atlantic 279 



Snout in front of orbits 5.5-6.9 times as long as orbit; its length in front of mouth 

 2.5—3.6 times as great as distance between exposed nostrils. Orbit 1.6-1.8 times as 

 long as spiracle; distance between orbits r. 0—1.3 times as great as orbit. Distance be- 

 tween first gill openings 1.6— 1.7 times as great as distance between exposed nostrils, 

 between fifth gill openings about i.o times; first gill openings 1.2— 1.4 times as long as 

 fifth and 0.17—0.22 as long as breadth of mouth. Nasal curtain fringed; expanded pos- 

 terior (outer) margins of nostrils smooth except for a few fringes on extreme outer angle. 

 Upper and lower jaws moderately arched centrally. 



Teeth j^eII, rather widely spaced, in quincunx, triangular or ovate, with smooth 

 rounded apex on outer margin and a low triangular cusp, pointing inward, on inner 

 margin. 



First and second dorsals similar in size and shape. No interspace between dorsals. 

 Caudal membrane from rear end of base of second dorsal 1.25—2.0 times as long as 

 base of first dorsal. Pelvics deeply concave, strongly scalloped along anterior side of 

 excavation but only weakly so rearward; anterior margin i.i times as long as distance 

 from its own origin to rear tips of pelvics; anterior lobe moderately slender, including 

 five radial cartilages besides the first stout one; posterior lobe convex outwardly; rear 

 tips abruptly rounded, extending about V's of the distance from axils of pelvics toward 

 first dorsal; inner margin straight. 



Rostral cartilage firm, narrow, extending to tip of snout. Anterior pectoral rays 

 reaching only about 2/5 of distance from level of front of orbits toward tip of snout. 

 Translucent area in front of orbits and on either side of rostral cartilage very thin and 

 membranous. 



Color. Upper surface of larger specimen pale brown, somewhat darker along pos- 

 terior margins of disc, on pelvics, and on tail. Dorsal fins and caudal black. Below, creamy 

 on disc except somewhat dusky along outer margins from outer angle rearward and on 

 pelvics. Tail blackish. On the smaller specimen there is a narrow black margin along the 

 posterior edge of the disc above, and the lower surface is distinctly margined with black 

 rearward from the level of the mouth ; the rear parts of the pelvics are blackish also. 



Size and Habits. The small claspers on the larger specimen indicate that this species 

 attains at least a moderately large size. Nothing is known of its habits beyond the fact 

 that our two specimens were taken at a depth of 305 fathoms. 



Occurrence. It is known only from the offing of Pensacola, Florida. 



Reference : 



Raja teevani Bigelow and Schroeder, J. Wash. Acad. Sci., ^J (12), 1951: 388 (descr., ill., off Pensacola, Fla.). 



Raja texana Chandler 1921 



Texas Skate 



Figures 60, 61 



Study Material. Thirteen specimens, 105—550 mm long, from Barataria and Chau- 

 vin, Louisiana and from Austin, Texas, in the collections of the U. S. National Museum, 



