FISHES OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS AND ADJACENT SEAS 477 



Depth 4I/3 to 5 in disk length to hind pectoral edge; head 2% 

 to 4; disk length 1% to 1% in its width, 314 in tail; head width sub- 

 equal with its length. Snout width subequal with interorbital, 

 with shallow median notch, tips of rostral fins showing as viewed 

 from above; eye 6 to 7i/^ in head, 4% to 5% in interorbital; 

 mouth width 1% to 1% ^^^ head; upper lip with edge fringed, 

 lower papillate; teeth in 7 rows in jaws, median row l^ to 7 times 

 as wide as those in lateral rows; outermost row of teeth smallest, 

 wide as long; internarial width 1% in mouth width; interorbital 

 1% to 114 ii^ head, broad, slightly convex- Gill openings moderate, 

 equidistant, last smallest. Spiracles large, twice eye and closely 

 posterior to eye. 



Skin smooth. Caudal spine li/^ to 1% in interorbital. 



Dorsal length 1% to 1% in interorbital; no anal; tail long, slen- 

 der, whiplike; pectorals falcate, front edges convex, hind edges con- 

 cave, tips acuminate; ventrals rather long, narrow, end in obtuse 

 inner lobe. 



Uniform brown above, below white. 



India, Ceylon, East Indies, China. 



This species has a much longer tail than Garman describes. It dif- 

 fers from the other Indo-Pacific species Rhinoptera adspersa Miiller 

 and Henle and Rhinoptera jayakarl Boulenger in the possession of 

 but 7 rows of teeth in each jaw. 



6763. Manila market. April 29, 1909. Length, 660 mm., tail end broken. 



6764. Manila market. April 29, 1909. Length, 1,010 mm. 



RHINOPTERA ADSPERSA Muller and Henle 



Rhinoptera adspersa (Valenciennes) Muller and Henle, Syst. Beschr. Plagi- 

 ostomen, p. 18.3, 1841 (India). — Cantob, Journ. Asiatic Soc. Bengal, vol. 

 18, p. 1418, 1849 (Pinang).— Jerdon, Madras Journ. Lit. Sci., vol. 17, p. 149, 

 1851.— Gray, List fish British Museum, p. 132, 1851 (reference). — Bleeker, 

 Verb. Batav. Genootsch. (Plagiost.), vol. 24, p. 82, 1852 (Indian Ocean); 

 (Bengal), vol. 25, p. 82, 1853 (reference). — Dumeril, Hist. Nat. Elasmobr., 

 vol. 1, p. 648, 1865 (type). — GiJNTHER, Cat. Fishes British Museum, vol. 8, 

 p. 494, 1870 (East Indies).— Day, Fishes of India, pt. 4, p. 744, 1878 

 (Madras) ; Fauna British India, Fishes, vol. 1, p. 61, 1889. — Garman, Mem. 

 Mus. Comp. Zool., vol. 36, p. 447, 1913 (Indian Ocean). 



Snout short and broad; upper teeth in 9 rows, median row and 

 second on each side about equal, each of teeth less than 3 times 

 broad as long, narrower than separating rows ; lower teeth in 7 rows, 

 median row wider, other rows narrowing to outer. 



Back rough with small stellate based spines. 



Dorsal origin little behind ventral bases, tail more than 3 times 

 disk length; pectorals form disk twice wide as long, front edges 

 nearly straight, hind edges concave, outer angles pointed, hind 

 angles straight; cephalic fins rounded, not prolonged. 



