390 BULLETIN 10 0, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



on upper surface; entire lower surface smooth and naked, except 

 terminal half of tail, which bears few very small spines. 



Dorsals small, anterior somewhat larger than posterior (figure 

 shows reverse), close to end of tail and separated by space less than 

 base of either ; caudal narrow fold of skin on lower side of tail ; pec- 

 torals form rhomboidal disk, front edges undulate, lateral and hind 

 angles evenly rounded. 

 Uniform slate gray above and below. Length, 210 mm. (Lloyd.) 

 Andaman Sea. Known only from the type in the Indian Museum. 



RAJA LEOPARDUS Yon Bonde and Swart 



Raia leopardus Von Bonde and Swakt, Marine Surv. South Africa Rep., pt. 5, 

 p. 7, pi. 20, fig. 2, 1923 (type locality: Natal coast in 40-280 fathoms).— 

 Baenakd, Ann. South African Mus., vol. 21, pt. 1, p. 74, 1925 (Natal coast). 



Raja leopardus Norman, Discovery Rep., vol. 12, p. 35 (lat. 34''8' S., long 17''33' 

 E., in 402?-548 m.), p. 44 (off Dassen Island, Table Bay, Cape Point; Natal; 

 type), 1935. 



Head to spiracle 714 to tip of tail; disk length 21/5, length IVio its 

 width. Snout li^^ in head to spiracle, projects in rounded point 

 forming obtuse angle; eye 5^2 in head to spiracle, 4 in snout, 3 in 

 interorbital ; mouth nearly straight, with angle in middle toward 

 snout, width 2 in preoral length, interorbital 1% in head to spiracle, 

 flat. Spiracles oblique, close behind orbit, long as eye. 



Whole disk, excluding ventrals, covered with small spines, extend- 

 ing to end of tail, except median line which occupied by row of large 

 vertebral spines from shoulder to first dorsal; small spines more 

 densely strewn along front edges, rostrum, interorbital and sides of 

 median line from head to tail; sparsely covered or almost smooth 

 patches on either side of tail root and 2 areas anterior to suprascapu- 

 lar regions just behind head; also 2 before and 2 behind eye along 

 orbital ridge; 2 suprascapular spines each side of disk center; no 

 median spines between dorsals. 



Dorsals and caudal continuous along shallow fold, subequal, about 

 long as orbit ; pectorals form subcircular disk, front margins slightly 

 curved outward and slight concavities in margins either side of front 

 end of rostrum, outer angles and hind edges and angles broadly 

 rounded in wide curve; ventrals notched about half their length, 

 oblong posteriorly and bluntly pointed either side of tail. 



Dusky brown, with numerous distinct very dark brown, nearly 

 black spots, varying in size from large, oval, oblong, and circular 

 about size of eye on tail to smaller, more evenly circular and numer- 

 ous spots on disk and along edges of margins ; whole effect resembles 

 appearance of leopard skin. With age color of background and spots 

 fade, then dirty dusky yellow tinged with brown ; spots less intense, 

 far between, smaller and less well marked; tail well marked with 



