Fishes of the Western North Atlantic i 8 i 



Snout in front of orbits 1.9—2.4 times as long as distance between orbits, its 

 length in front of mouth 1.5—2.0 times as great as distance between exposed nostrils. 

 Orbit about i. 0-1.4 times as long as spiracle; distance between orbits 1.1-1.7 times 

 as long as length of orbit. 



Distance between first gill openings 2.0—2.4 times as long as distance between 

 exposed nostrils, between fifth gill openings i.i — 1.4 times; first gill openings i.o- 

 1.6 times as long as fifth and about 18— 26''/o as long as breadth of mouth. 



Nasal curtain fringed; expanded posterior (outer) margin of nostril fringed finely 

 or coarsely. Mouth broadly bowed, the lower jaw much more narrowly arched in adult 

 males than in females, the upper jaw somewhat more so to accomodate it. 



Teeth ggZ^; low in young of both sexes and of females to maturity, rounded with 

 faintly marked transverse cutting edges, in quincunx arrangement; those of mature 

 males about as high as broad, with sharp or only slightly blunt points, more widely 

 spaced in transverse series. 



First and second dorsals similar in size and shape, confluent at base. Caudal 

 membrane from rear end of base of second dorsal about 27—35 "/o ^^ ^o^g ^^ base of 

 first dorsal. ^^^ Pelvics moderately concave outwardly, scalloped around indentation; 

 anterior margin about 51—64 % as long as distance from origin of pelvic to rear tip; 

 anterior lobe broad with well rounded tip, including about five slender radial cartilages 

 besides first stout one; posterior lobe with weakly and evenly convex outer margin and 

 rather narrowly rounded tip. 



Claspers of mature males reaching about midway from axils of pelvics toward 

 tip of tail. One of the terminal cartilages'^' is a broad scimitar-shaped blade with a 

 sharp cutting edge, covered with thin skin, its recurved point directed forward along 

 the outer ventral side of the clasper channel. This blade, which is entirely enclosed 

 within the leaf-like walls of the clasper, is exposed after the latter has been inserted in 

 the female. 



Anterior rays of pectorals reaching about 68—76 "/o of distance from level of 

 fronts of orbits to tip of snout. 



Color. Upper surface grayish to dark brown or clouded with light and dark brown, 

 usually with small round to oval darker spots varying in size and arrangement on 

 different parts of disc and on different specimens. Lower surface usually white or pale 

 gray without markings; disc and tail occasionally with irregular dusky blotches, or 

 entire lower surface of tail dark gray.'^^ 



Size. Length at hatching is about 75—85 mm, the usual length at maturity about 

 450-500 mm (18-20 in.) in both sexes; the largest specimen recorded was about 

 530 mm long (21 in.).'" One 18 inches long weighs about 1.3 pounds. 



Developmental Stages. The eggs are often taken in considerable numbers in nets 



120. 8—20 "/„ as long in three specimens examined from the St. Lawrence River. 



121. Cartilage T', according to the terminology adopted by Jungersen (Danish 'Ingolf Exped., 2 [2], 1898: 10); often 

 termed the thorn or spine. 



122. All these variations are illustrated on specimens in our Study Material. 



123. A specimen in the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology. 



