ICHTHYOLOGY OF VENEZUELA — SCHULTZ 31 



orbital space, the latter about twice the length of the snout, interorbital 

 space nearly flat; the mouth is a little closer to tip of snout than to 

 front of the eye ; inside the mouth there are always five blunt papillae 

 on the lower jaw behind the teeth, the papilla in the midline a little 

 in advance of the others, all four of which are in a straight line or 

 nearly so; behind the teeth of upper jaw is a broad membrane whose 

 inner margin has about 25 lappets; the nasal flap is free with a truncate 

 fringed margin; the teeth are diamond-shaped with a posteriorly pro- 

 jecting blunt median tip, each side of which is a slight concavity; the 

 greatest width of the toothed area of the upper jaw about two-thirds 

 that of lower jaw; pelvic fins when spread with outer margins truncate 

 or a little rounded, outer tips rounded; the claspers are variously 

 developed at difl^erent sizes, the smallest specimen with fully developed 

 claspers measures 210 mm. from tip of snout to end of sting and the 

 diameter of the clasper was about 10 mm., its length 43 mm.; the 

 spines along middorsal line of back in front of base of sting are absent 

 on the embryos and postembryos but begin to appear at a length of 

 about 200 mm. (from snout tip to end of sting) and the greatest num- 

 ber of such spines coimted was 23; the sting when fully developed is 

 about as long as the snout, fully barbed along its sides and with a 

 lengthwise groove near base of the barbs that no doubt contains the 

 poison glands and venom; the upper surfaces of the body are covered 

 with minute scales and then in addition some specimens have numer- 

 ous to few scattered stellate tubercles; under side of body naked. 



Color. — Dorsal surface plain dark bro\\Ti or dark brown with 

 numerous scattered smaU black spots, and occasionally the dorsal 

 surface has light blotches; ventral surface plain pale except rayed 

 parts of pectorals, which are grayish to brownish, more intense around 

 the margins, and sometimes a few black spots occur near margins of 

 the disk; outer corners of upper lip sometimes darkish; under side of 

 tail blotched or mottled; tail of young and postembryos somewhat 

 faintly barred. When alive the under sides were purplish to pinkish. 



Frequently when a female ray was placed in the collecting can it 

 would give birth to one to four embryos. 



Family MYLIOBATIDAE : Eagle and Cow-nosed Rays 



This family may be recognized by the pectoral fins not being con- 

 tinuous to the end of the snout. They end on the side of the head 

 behind the eyes, reappearing again in the front of the snout as one or 

 two fleshy protuberances. The pectoral fins are pointed distally and 

 the tail is long and whiplike with a spine basally. 



Genus RHINOPTERA Kuhl 



Rhinoptera Kuhl, in Cuvier, Le r&gne animal, ed. 2, vol. 2, p. 401, 1829. (Geno- 

 type, Mylidbatis marginatus Geoffrey.) (Ref. copied.) 



