196 XOTES ON CEPHALEUTHERUS—GILL. vol. xviii. 



parte auterioro del corpo, cinque da ogui lato; fra le ale lateiali anterior!, a poste- 

 teori vi e nn appendice <i[ua.si digitate alia puuta, 1' auo <' piii vicino del capo, cLe della 

 punta della coda, qnesta «■ couvessa al disopra, e piana al disotto, e le alo, cbe porta, 

 sono niolto viciue alia sua estreuiita, approssiiuate fra esse, e cou una si)iua fra il 

 mezzo. 



A free liead separated from tlie pectoral flus, and tlie lateral eyes and 

 spiracles, are characteristic features of myliobatoid rays, aud these attri- 

 butes have evidently led Ur. Jordan to identify (k'phaleuthcrus macula- 

 /?/6' with Myliohatis hovinus, but other characters assigned to the species 

 are in direct contravention of such an identification. Such are the two 

 dorsal fins (due ala sopra la cauda), the approximation of those fins to 

 the end of the tail (molto vicine aHa sua estremita) and to each other 

 (approssimata fra esse), the distinct anterior lobes of the ventrals (fra 

 le ale laterali anteriori e posteiiori vi e un appendice quasi digitato alia 

 puuta), the pointed snout (capo appuntato), the pectoral fins pointed 

 and scabrous anteriorly (ale laterali anteriori appuntate e scabre ante- 

 riorniente),the row of spiny bucklers along the middle of the back, the 

 spines elsewhere, and the dark yellowish back with blockish spots (ful- 

 vastro al disopra con delle nmcchie fosclie). These (and other charac- 

 ters mentioned) are not shared by Mediterranean Myliobatids, but are 

 by different skates. The ray described by Rafinesque appears indeed 

 to have been a true skate (apparently liaja clavota), but the notice of 

 the distinct head indicates that there was something anomalous about 

 it. What, then, was it? 



T. 



There is a liability in any skate to an arrest of development in the 

 growth of the pectoral fins forward and consequently their continuity 

 with the head, but in most of such cases there is an independent ex- 

 tension forward from the base of the pectorals. tSuch anomalies have 

 received generic names, Propter ygia having been jiroposed for one phase 

 of development and Hicro'ptera for another. An analogous phase was 

 probably manifest in the specimen noticed by iiaflnesque, and appears 

 to be noticed in the terms '' ale laterali anteriori appuntate e scabre 

 anteriormeute," which may be interpreted as referring to pectoral fins 

 pointed forward. In such cases, the head is distinct from the pecto- 

 rals, and the eyes and spiracles more nearly lateral, although not lateral 

 to the degree manifest in Myliobatids. The anonmlies represented by 

 the generic names Propterijoia and Ilicroptera were described by Otto 

 and Fleming. 



II. 



The Propterygia of Otto. — Otto, in 1818, obtained a ray in Scotland 

 (New Haven), and in 1820 described it as a new generic type — Pro- 

 pterygia hyposticta. The genus was defined as follows : 



Raja; altero pinnaruui pectoralium pari ad latera capitis a corpore distiucti ot 

 in rostrum subacuiiiiuiitum dt'sineutis; spiraeiila. (luinque;' cauda brevis absque 

 aculco. 



'Zum Unterscliied der Secbs bei Ceplialoptera. (Sic I) 



