300 BULLETIN 10 0, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



rows, median 22 upper and 27 lower vertical rows, largest on sum- 

 mits of 3 elevations in each jaw, obtusely rounded and each with 

 several longitudinal ridges; nostrils twice eye, II/2 in internarial 

 which ly^ in mouth width; nasal valves weak, short; interorbital 

 1% in head to spiracle, slightly concave. Spiracle II/2 eye diameters 

 behind eye, equals eye, without folds. 



Irregular row of large tubercles from ridges above each eye to 

 nape, vertebral row before first dorsal, 2 parallel rows each side 

 above pectoral base of which inner partly continuous with supra- 

 orbital row. 



First dorsal origin about over ventral origin, fin length 1^ in 

 head to spiracle; second dorsal length II/4; caudal 514 in rest of 

 body, subcaudal 1% upper caudal lobe; pectoral broadly angular, 

 hind truncate edge equals head to spiracle; ventral about 11/2- 



Dull brown, lighter below. Body and sometimes fins covered 

 with whitish dots. Occasionally some tortuous black lines. Length 

 2,084 mm. (Day.) 



Red Sea, Arabia, East Africa, Seychelles, India, Ceylon, Pinang, 

 East Indies, Philippines, Cochin China, China, Japan, Queensland. 



Genus RHYNCHOBATUS Muller and Henle 



Rhyncholatus Mullee and Henle, Sitz. Ber. Akad. Wiss. Berlin, 1837, p. 116. 



(Type, RhinoMtus laevis Schneider, monotypic.) 

 RhynchoMtis Muu^er and Henle, Syst. Beschr. Plagiostomen, p. Ill, 1841. 



(Type, RMnohatus laevis Schneider, monotypic.) 



Disk partly triangular, longer than wide. Tail with axis some- 

 what raised. Snout elongated, narrow, pointed, length much great- 

 er than interorbital, not extended beyond nostrils. Teeth obtuse, 

 pavement-like, dental surfaces undulated. Nostril length greater 

 than internarial width. Spiracle with two very small folds on hind 

 edge. Median row of tubercles directed backward, from nape to 

 first dorsal and between first and second dorsals; another partly 

 median row on each shoulder and row above each orbit. First 

 dorsal opposite ventrals. Caudal keels weak, lower lobe well de- 

 veloped. Front pectoral edge free. 



Large rays of the Indian Ocean and western Pacific and in South 

 Africa of some interest to anglers. A second species on West 

 African coasts. They differ from Rhina in the produced snout, like 

 that of RhiTwhatos. 



RHYNCHOBATUS DJIDDENSIS (Forskftl) 



Raja djiddensis FokskAl, Descript. Animal., pp. vrn, 18, 1775 (type locality: 

 Djedda and Lohaja, Red Sea). — Gmelin, Syst. Nat. Linn., vol. 1, p. 1511, 

 1789 (Red Sea).— Walbaum, Artedi Pise, vol. 3, p. 534, 1792 (copied).— 

 LAcrgpiiDE, Hist. Nat. Poiss, vol. 1, p. 135, 1798 (copied). — Shaw, General 

 Zool., vol. 5, p. 319, 1804. 



