44 FISHES OF NORTH CAROLINA. 



fort in recent years. At Cape Lookout, however, where this species is known as 

 "shock-fish", it is at times not uncommon and has often been taken in nets. 



Family DASYATIDiE. The Sting-rays. 



Rays, usually of large size, characterized by the union of pectoral fins around 

 the snout; body very depressed, skull flat (not elevated as in Myliobatidae, etc.); 

 tail either very long and slender or short and stout, with or without a barbed 

 spine; spiracles large, near eyes. Viviparous or ovo viviparous. Numerous 

 genera and species; the two following genera represented on Atlantic coast. 



i. Tail long and slender; caudal spine strong; body roundish Dasyatis. 



ii. Tail short; caudal spine weak or absent; body much broader than long . . . Pteroplatea. 



Genus DASYATIS Rafinesque. Sting-rays. 



Body rounded, very flat; snout more or less prominent; whip-like tail with a 



strong, barbed spine near its base, without fins but with one or two vertical folds; 



skin usually spiny; teeth small, paved. Species of large size, and said to be 



ovoviviparous. Used for food in Gulf States. Four or five species on Atlantic 



coast; 2 are known to occur in North Carolina, and another (Dasyatis hastata) 



may be looked for. 



i. Tail with a small keel only on under side; back and tail with stout spines in adult . . centrura. 



ii. Tail with a keel on both upper and under surface; skin nearly smooth, medium line of 



back with only 1 spine say. 



(Dasyatis, rough skate.) 



19. DASYATIS OENTRURA (Mitchill). 

 Sting-ray; Stingaree; Clam-cracker. 



Raja centrura Mitchill, Transactions Literary Society of New York, i, 479, 1815; New York. > 



Dasyatis centrura, Jordan & Evermann, 1896, 83. 



Diagnosis. — ^Body quadrangular, .25 wider than long; snout slightly projecting; tail 

 more than twice the length of body, spiny, a keel below, one or more barbed spines ne^r base; 

 skin smooth in young, tuberculate on head, back and tail in adults; teeth blunt, smooth, in 

 groups of 5. Color: dark brown above, white below, (centrura, spine-tailed.) 



A large northern species, ranging southward to Cape Hatteras. Maximum, 

 length, including tail, 12 feet. Feeds exclusively on invertebrates (crabs, clams, 

 squids, etc). The species called Trygon centrura by Yarrow in his Beaufort list 

 is doubtless Dasyatis say. *> 



18. DASYATIS SAY (LeSueur). 

 "Sting-ray"; "Stingaree"; Whip-ray. 



Raja say LeSueur, Journal Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, i, 421, 1817; New Jersey. 



Trygon centrura. Yarrow, 1877,216; Beaufort. 



Dasybatis centrurus, Jordanand Gilbert, 1879, 386; Beaufort. 



rrj/fironsayi, Jenkins, 1887,84; Beaufort. Wilson, 1900,355; Beaufort. 



Dasybatis sayi, Jordan, 1886,26; Beaufort 



Dasyatis say, Jordan & Evermann, 1896, 86. Linton, 1905, 346; Beaufort. 



Diagnosis. — Body quadrangular, .16 wider than long, outer and posterior angles rounded; 

 snout not prominent; ventrals rounded; tail .5 longer than body, with a keel above and below, 

 and a barbed spine in front of upper keel; teeth smooth in young and in female, sharp in male: 

 .3 papillaj at bottom of mouth and 1 on either side; skin on body and tail smooth. Color; 

 dark brown above, white below. (Named after Thomas Say.) 



