Fishes of the Western North Atlantic 319 



toward first dorsal. Claspers of mature males slender, their tips simple, reaching back 

 halfway from axils of pelvics toward first dorsal. 



Anterior rays of pectorals extending only about 42—50 "/o of distance from level 

 of fronts of orbits toward tip of snout. 



Color. Upper surface pale brown, the disc without definite markings but the tail 

 with a dusky cross-band at the region of each dorsal fin ; first and second dorsals black 

 (a conspicuous feature) as well as caudal membrane. Lower surface whitish or yellowish; 

 plain in young but variously blotched and washed with brown on abdomen, on posterior 

 parts of pectorals, and on posterior lobes of pelvics of larger specimens ; anterior divisions 

 of pelvics darker brown below in males; tail pale dusky below. 



Size. Judging from the claspers, a male 297 mm long is evidently close to ma- 

 turity, hence it is likely that our largest specimen, a female 332 mm long, is close to the 

 maximum size for this species. 



Developmental Stages. The egg cases have not been seen. 



Habits. We know only that it is a deep-water species, all specimens so far seen 

 having been taken in depths of 280—425 fathoms. 



Range. Known only off the north coast of Cuba. 



Reference : 



Cruriraja atlantis Bigelow and Schroeder, J. Mar. Res., 7 (3), 1948: 550 (descr., ill., off N. Central Cuba). 



Cruriraja poeyi Bigelow and Schroeder 1948 

 Figures 75, 76 



Study Material. Six males and nine females, 83 to 328 mm long, including the 

 type, trawled by the Atlantis off Cuba, in the Harvard Museum of Comparative 

 Zoology and U. S. National Museum; and one trawled by the U. S. Bureau of Fisheries 

 vessel Albatross off St. Augustine, Florida (U. S. Nat. Mus., No. 1236 18). 



Distinctive Characters. C. poeyi is separable at a glance from all other Rajidae of 

 the western Atlantic, except C. atlantis, by its pelvic fins. It differs from the latter in 

 the facts that the upper surface of its disc is largely smooth except around the eyes 

 and snout and along the mid-dorsal zone posterior to the scapular region, and that its 

 two dorsal fins are close together. The smoothness of its disc also separates it from 

 C. parcomaculata and C. durbanensis from South Africa, these being more or less covered 

 with small spines in addition to the enlarged median and orbital thorns. 



Description. Proportional dimensions in per cent of total length. Male, 327 mm 

 (Harv. Mus. Comp. Zool., No. 36322). Female, 328 mm (Harv. Mus. Comp. Zool., 

 type. No. 36324), from Cuba. 



Disc: extreme breadth 60.3, d"},.^:, length 48.9, 48.2. 

 Snout length: in front of orbits 11.3, 12.2; in front of mouth 13.7, 14.0. 

 Orbits: horizontal diameter 4.9, 5.2; distance between 3.1, 3.3. 

 Spiracles: length 2.8, 2.7; distance between 6.7, 7.9. 



