FISHES OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS AND ADJACENT SEAS 403 

 DASYATIS PURPUREUS (Muller and Henle) 



Trygon purpurea (Andrew Smith) Mullee and Henle, Syst. Beschr. Plagiosto- 

 men, p. 160, pi. 52, 1841 [no locality (probably South Africa, on drawing 

 by Sir Andrew Smith.) ]—GtJNTHER, Cat. Fishes British Museum, vol. 8, p. 

 472, 1870 (reference). 



Trygon (Himantura) purpurcns Dumeril, Hist. Nat. Elasmobr., vol. 1, p. 593, 

 1865 (compiled). 



Dasybatis purpurea Barnard, Ann. South African Mus., vol. 21, pt. 1, p. 78, 1925 

 (on original figure of Muller and Henle). 



Dasybatus purpurea Baknaed, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 10, vol. 13, p. 229, 1934 

 (Kails Bay; False Bay, South Africa). 



Head very small, 13% in total length. Snout 2 in head to hind 

 spiracle edge, as seen above forms widely obtuse angle; eye very 

 small, 5 in head, 2 in snout, 2l^ in interorbital ; mouth width large; 

 preoral length li^ in mouth width; about 26 rows of upper teeth; 

 internarial slightly greater than preoral length or II/3 in mouth 

 width, edge of each flap entire ; interorbital 1% in head to hind spir- 

 acle edge. Spiracle small, close behind eye, slightly larger than eye, 

 interspiracle width 2l^ in head. 



Skin smooth. 



Tail little shorter than disk length, tapering, spine (one figure 

 shows 2 spines) midway in tail length, 5i/^ in disk length ; pectorals 

 form broad rhomboid disk, front edges but very slightly sinuous, 

 outer angles convex ; ventrals obtusely rounded. 



Above dark blue to violet, below somewhat clearer blue. Size not 

 given, length of larger figure 285 mm. (Miiller and Henle.) 



ANALYSIS OF SPECIES 



a'. Himantura. Tail without keels or folds ; disk broader than long ; tubercles 

 depressed in pavement. 

 &'. Tail 3 times body or more. 

 &. Oral papillae 4 to 7. 



d\ Brown, with dark spots, tail banded uamak 



d'. Brown, with lighter spots, tail banded gerrardi 



c^. Oral papillae 2 ; brown, tail without bands bleekeri 



6^ Tail twice length of body or nwre. 



e\ Oral papillae 7; reddish-brown spots, more or less reticulate. 



krempfi 



c^ Oral papillae 4 ; brown, with paler spots, snout pointed alcockii 



e*. Oral papillae 2 ; brown, with yellow reticulations favus 



rtl Pastinachus. Cutaneous fold on tail below, none above; disk broader than 

 long ; tubercles rounded, stellate. 



f. Tail 3 times disk length ; snout sharp ; oral papillae 5 ; scales 



tessellated ; brown bennettii 



f. Tail more than twice to nearly 3 times disk length. 

 g^. Oral papillae 5. 



h^. Brown, uniform or irregularly spotted white latus 



Ji^. Brown, tail blackish sephen 



g^. Oral papillae 4; brown, tail blackish gruveli 



