STAHHV I! AY. 



109 



somewluit concave in the nii<l(lle, iVoiu tlie hind iii;ii;ii;in 

 of wliicli a. fine, subulate cusp rises ()hlii|ui'ly upwards 

 and backwards. 



(^nly tlie ujijier surface of the body is armed with 

 spines, the under being tpiite siuooth and soft. The 

 spinuhe are of the same form as the aculei .scattered 

 over tlie wjiole surface, having a conii-all\' expanded, 

 stellate base and an extremely fine, pungent ti]). The 

 only difference between them is in the size, thougii no 

 such definite line as in the Thornbaek can here be 

 drawn between tlie spinuke and aculei, large and small 

 of all sizes being indiscriminately interspersed with one 

 another, and their distribution being more scattered and 

 irregular, leaving more or less extensive patches of 

 smooth skin between them. The ordinary aculei occupy 

 in young specimens tiie same positions as in young 

 Thornbacks, and stand in nearly the same relation to 

 one another; but their distribution is characteristic in 

 three respects: there is no aculeus between the two 

 dorsal fins", which are set so close together that the 

 membrane of the first often overlaps the anterior mar- 

 gin of the second; the aculei along the spinal column 

 are only 12 — 16 in number; and the scapular cartilage 

 is always furnislied with two aculei, one behind the 

 otiier, and sometimes with a third, between this pair 

 and the median series, all with deeply grooved, stellate 

 base. In old specimens there further appeal's on each 

 side of the median series a lateral row, commencing 

 high u]) on tlie dorsal surface not far behind the sca- 

 pular cartilage, and extending back to the first dorsal 

 fin. On the tail these lateral rows lie about half-way 

 between the median series and the side-margin of the 

 body, and here the aculei never attain the same size as 

 those of the median series. The lateral margins of the 

 tail are never spinigerous. The extraordinary aculei 

 appear, as we have mentioned, only on the dorsal side. 

 They gradually increase in size, but never attain the 

 same dimensions as the ordinary aculei on the spinal 

 column. They are scattered with some degree of sym- 

 metry, and are never wanting in adult individuals. 



Characteristic as the radiate base of the aculei 

 generallj- appears in this species, it should be remarked, 

 howe\'er, that during earliest Aouth, in individuals i) — 

 12 cm. long, the base is quite smooth, and the anterior 

 aculei rise to a height of 5 ram. in a subulate form. 

 Even at the former length of bod^• all the ordinary 



aculei are already ])resent, and their length as just 

 stated is \ery considerable in ])r()i)ortion to the size of 

 the body, as compared with their dimensions in older 

 sj)ecimens, this being a sufficient character by which 

 small young individuals of the two species may im- 

 mediately be distinguished. 



The coloration is above of a plain liver-ljrown, 

 faintly marbled with yellowish white, and thinly stnnvn 

 with ii'regular, very indistinct, blackish spots of small 

 size; but the large, round, whitish spots that appear 

 in the Thortd)ack are entirely absent. The spinuhr 

 and aculei are of a paler, yellowish white colour. The 

 whole under surface is white, somewhat pinkish at the 

 margins of the fins, the canals and pores of the lateral 

 line being colourless. Kkovek remarks, however, that 

 black spots, varying in number and size, frequently 

 occur on the ventral side, especially on the under sur- 

 face of the tail. Transverse bands may also be observed, 

 but are less numerous than in the preceding species. 



is,"^ 



B 



Fig. 316. Jaw-teeth and aculei of a Starry Ray (Raja rarfm(a), na- 

 tural size. ,4; tce-lh of upper and lower jaws; a, tootli, magnified, 

 lateral and superior aspects; B: dorsal aculeus, lateral and superior 

 aspects, natural size; a, aculeus from the fail of a young specimen, 

 lateral and superior aspects, magnified. 



The external diflference of sex is less marked in 

 young individuals of this species than in young Thorn- 

 backs. In adult Starry Rays it is distinctly shown by 

 the long pterygopodia of the male and by the posterior 

 cards at the outer angle of the pectoral fins. The an- 

 terior cards, on the other hand, at the side-margins of 

 the head, may be regarded as wanting, for the female, 

 which generally has more numerous spines, is, if any- 

 thing, better armed at these spots than the male. 



The Starry Ray belongs to northern latitudes, and 

 occurs far up in the Arctic Ocean. From Greenland 

 it was described by Fabiucius. The Norwegian North 

 Atlantic Expedition of 1876 — 78 found it ofi' Bear Is- 

 land and the north-west corner of Spitzbergen. In the 

 White Sea it was known even to Pallas. In the Bay 

 of Biscay, according to Mukeau, lies the southern limit 



" In adult Starry Rays from the Arctic regions, liowever, Collett frequently found 

 specimens from the White Sea there is no aculeus between these fins. 



aculeus between the dorsal fins 



