Fishes of the IVestern North Atlantic 325 



Spiracles: length 2.9; distance between 7.4. 



Mouth: breadth 9.5. 



Nostrils: distance between inner ends 5.6. 



Gill openings: lengths, ist 1.4; 3rd 1.6; 5th 1.3; distance between inner ends, 



ist 14.7; 5th 10.4. 

 First dorsal fin: vertical height 2.7; length of base 6.1. 

 Second dorsal fin: vertical height 2.3; length of base 5.7. 

 Pelvics: anterior margin i 1.9. 

 Distance: from tip of snout to center of cloaca 48.2; from center of cloaca to ist 



dorsal 36.7; to tip of tail 51.8; from base of 2nd dorsal to tip of caudal 3.2. 

 Interspace between: ist and 2nd dorsals 0.0. 



Disc including lateral lobes about 1.4 times as broad as long, or about i.i times 

 as broad as long disregarding the lobes ; its anterior contour, back about to level of shoul- 

 ders, nearly an even semicircle; position of tip of snout marked by a low rounded 

 prominence; posterior corners so broadly rounded that outer-posterior and inner- 

 posterior margins merge without evident transition; posterior corners slightly over- 

 lapping pelvics; median 6—8 rays of each pectoral prolonged, forming a narrow spatula- 

 shaped lobe that tapers somewhat to a rounded tip and extends out from the general 

 contour line of the fin by a distance about equal to that between spiracles. Axis of 

 greatest breadth (disregarding lobes) about 65 "/o of distance from snout toward rear 

 margins of disc. Tail with narrow lateral folds beginning about an eye's diameter 

 posterior to tips of pelvics and extending almost to tip, widest posteriorly; length of 

 tail from center of cloaca to first dorsal about 0.76 as great as distance from center of 

 cloaca to tip of snout, 0.89 as great to second dorsal, and 1.07 times as great to tip. 



Upper surface of disc sparsely strewn with minute and low conical thorns, their 

 tips only breaking the skin; four or five larger curved thorns outlining each orbital 

 ridge, with a smaller pair inward from each spiracle; one large, and one or two smaller 

 ones on each shoulder; one small thorn midway between scapular thorns and spiracle; 

 a row of larger and smaller thorns along midline of back from nuchal region to first 

 dorsal fin, the largest ones on anterior part of tail, about 17—18 in number anterior 

 to axils of pectorals, about 22 thence to first dorsal; this median row of thorns flanked 

 on either side of disc by occasional smaller thorns and along tail by a more continuous 

 though irregular series, with a few still smaller thorns low down on its sides; skin 

 above eyes prickly; pelvics smooth; dorsals and caudal membrane with a few small 

 sharp prickles. Lower surface edged with an irregular double row of sharp thorns from 

 tip of snout rearward around head and anterior margins of disc to pectoral lobes, their 

 points curved inward toward median line of disc; three irregular rows along anterior 

 edge of each pectoral lobe; otherwise smooth below. 



Snout in front of orbits about three times as long as orbit, its length in front of 

 mouth about 2.4 times as great as distance between exposed nostrils. Orbit about as 

 long as distance between orbits and 1.3 times as long as spiracle. Exposed nostril small, 



