3 o6 Memoir Sears Foundation for Marine Research 



Teeth |^2' dose-set in quincunx in females, mostly with low blunt cusp, but 

 cusp lacking on some near corners of mouth; those of adult males in transverse series 

 and with sharp conical cusp. 



Dorsals similar in shape; either confluent or with interspace up to about Va as long 

 as base of first dorsal ; interspace with one or two thorns ; base of first dorsal about i .o- 

 1.3 times as long as base of second. Caudal membrane posterior to second dorsal about 

 1.3— 1.4 times as long as base of second dorsal. Pelvics deeply concave outwardly, scal- 

 loped around indentation; anterior margin about 88 "/o as long as distance from pelvic 

 origin to rear tip; anterior lobe narrowing to slightly blunted tip, with four slender 

 radials besides first stout one; outer margin of posterior lobe strongly convex and weakly 

 scalloped; rear corner abrupt, reaching back about ^s of distance from level of axils 

 of pectorals toward first dorsal. Claspers of adult male slender, widening a little toward 

 tips, extending rearward about Vs of distance from axils of pelvics toward first dorsal ; 

 no terminal spines exposed when not in function. 



Rostral cartilage narrowly triangular, its tip reaching a little more than halfway 

 from front of cranium toward tip of snout. Anterior rays of pectorals reaching about 

 halfway between level of tip of rostral cartilage and tip of snout. 



Color. Upper surface brownish purple, palest on either side of rostral ridge, along 

 edges of pectorals, and on pelvics; either plain-colored ^^ or irregularly marked with 

 small slightly darker blotches, indistinctly outlined, the most conspicuous being one 

 to four on each side, close to base of tail^^ and midway out on disc anterior to pelvic 

 girdle." Skin over prickles of small females and juvenile males much more deeply 

 pigmented, thus producing a dark speckled appearance; only scattered prickles so 

 pigmented on mature specimens. Lower surface plain yellowish white, but darker hue 

 of upper surface showing through along outer edges of pectorals. 



Size. Males are mature at a length of 310—335 mm, and the presence of large 

 thorns on the malar regions of the head of a female 325 mm long suggests that this 

 species does not grow to a length greater than about 375 mm. 



Developmental Stages. The egg cases have not been seen. 



Habits. Seemingly this is a deep-water species. The stomach of one contained the 

 remains of fish. 



Range. Known only from the northern and northeastern part of the Gulf of Mexico, 

 at the localities and depths listed under Study Material (p. 302). 



Reference : 



Breviraja sinus-mexlcanus Bigelow and Schroeder, Bull. Mus. comp. Zool. Harv., lOj {j), 1950: 396 (descr., 

 iUs., Gulf of Mexico, oiF Pensacola, Florida). 



Breviraja spinosa Bigelow and Schroeder 1950 



Figures 62 (lower left), 71 



Study Material. Female, 280 mm long, from off mid-Florida, Lat. 29°4i' N, Long. 

 79°55' W, in 373 fathoms, taken at Albatross St. 2664, in U. S. National Museum; 



II. One adult female is plain-colored. 12. This is the case on a half-grown female. 



13. An adult male shows this pattern. 



