302 Memoir Sears Foundation for Marine Research 



List Vert. Anim. S. Carolina, in Handb. S. Carolina, 1883: 261 (listed, S. Carolina); Jordan, Rep. U. S. 

 Comm. Fish. (1885), 1887: 799 (listed: Deep Sea Fauna); Giinther, Challenger Rep., 22, 1887: 10 

 (descr., locals., after Garman, 1881); Goode and Bean, Smithson. Contr. Knowl., 50, JJ (Atlas), 1895: 

 27, pi. 8, fig. 26; also, Mem. Harv. Mus. comp. Zool., 22, 1896: 27, pi. 8, fig. 26 (descr., locals., after 

 Garman, 1881, ill.); Jordan and Evermann, Bull. U. S. nat. Mus., 47 (i), 1896: 69 (descr., off S. Caro- 

 lina); Rep. U. S. Comm. Fish. (1895), 1896: 221 (listed off S. Carolina); Garman, Mem. Harv. Mus. 

 comp. Zool., 24, 1899: 380 (range, depth); Engelhardt, Abh. bayer. Akad. Wiss., Suppl. 4 (3), 1913: 

 102 (range); Garman, Mem. Harv. Mus. comp. Zool., j6, 191 3: 335, pi. 18, fig. i (refs., descr., ill., 

 depth, off S.Carolina); Jordan, Evermann and Clark, Rep. U. S. Comm. Fish. (1928), 2, 1930: 26 

 (listed, off S. Carolina); Pearson, Invest. Rep. U. S. Bur. Fish., 10 (i), 1932: 18 (off north. N. Caro- 

 lina, winter). 

 Malacorhina flutonia Garman, Bull. Mus. comp. Zool. Harv., 8, 1881: 237 (subgen. Malacorhina proposed). 



Probable Synonym: 



Raja acanthiderma Fowler, Fish Culturist, 26, 1947: 73; Notul. Nat. Acad. nat. Sci. Philad., 199, 1947: 14, 

 ftn. (descr., ill.. Gulf Stream off Florida). 



Breviraja sinus-mexicanus Bigelow and Schroeder 1950 

 Figures 62 (lower right), 69, 70 



Study Material. Ninety-four specimens,* males and females (including type), 117 

 to 355 mm long, from the northeastern part of the Gulf of Mexico between the offings 

 of Pensacola and of the Mississippi River Delta, in 170 to 347 fathoms, all in the U. S. 

 National Museum and the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology. 



Distinctive Characters. The shortness of its rostral cartilage separates B. sinus-mexi- 

 canus from all Skates of the genus Raja. Within its own genus it falls with B. atripinna 

 and the B. cubensis-^nd-plutonia group in the great length of its tail. But it is distinguish- 

 able from young B. atripinna by the thorniness of its tail and from older ones by the 

 shortness of the interspace between its two dorsal fins (cf. Figs. 69, 70 with S'^) and by 

 the pale coloration of the dorsals. Its tail is so much thornier than that of the B. cubensis- 

 und-p/utonia group that there is no danger of confusing it with either of these, and its 

 anterior angle is less obtuse. 



Description. Proportional dimensions in per cent of total length. Female, 228 mm 

 long, the type (U. S. Nat. Mus., No. 103376), and male, 321 mm long (U. S. Nat. 

 Mus., No. 148275), from the Gulf of Mexico. 



Disc: extreme breadth 44.7, 48.0; length 39.4, 40.0. 



Snout length: in front of orbits 9.4, 10. o; in front of mouth 1 1.4, 1 1.6. 



Orbits: horizontal diameter ^i-S') 3-9 i distance between 2.6, 3.0. 



Spiracles: length 2.2, 2.5; distance between 5.9, 6.^. 



Mouth: breadth 4.6, 5.0. 



Nostrils: distance between inner ends 4.6, 4.8. 



9. Albatross Sta. 2396 in Lat. 28°34' N, Long. 86°48'W; Sta. 2395 in Lat. 28^36' N, Long. 86°5o' VV; Sta. 2398 

 in Lat. 28°45' N, Long. 86°26' W; Sta. 2377 in Lat. 29°o8' N, Long. 88°o8' W; Oregon Sta. 307 in Lat. 29°oo' 

 N, Long. 88°35' W and Sta. 319 in Lat. 29^20' N, Long. 87°25' W, and Oregon Sts. 62, 351, 472, 476, 481, 489, 

 490, and 500 in the same general region. 



