igo9- ! N. AnnandalE : Report on the Batoidei . 43 



the whole of the mandibular surface ; their cusps are long and very sharp, directed 

 obliquely backwards. There is a low cutaneous ridge behind the teeth on either 

 jaw but no outstanding processes. 

 Colour. — The colour is variable in European specimens ; in the three Indian ones I 

 have seen the dorsal surface was of a peculiar livid dark purple-brown, densely 

 spotted with purplish buff. These markings extended over to the ventral margin 

 of the pectoral fins ; but the greater part of the ventral surface was dull white. 



The only specimen I have examined in detail is one brought by Dr. Travis Jenkins 

 in December, 1908, from Puri, where it had been taken in a seine-net worked from the 

 shore. In November of the same year, however, I saw a very similar specimen, which 

 had been captured in the same way, at Quilon on the Travancore coast. Dr. Jenkins's 

 specimen measures (in spirit) 245 mm. across the disk, which is 227 mm. long ; the 

 tail is 173 mm. long, the total length being thus 400 mm. The specimen is a female 

 and contained ripe ovarian eggs ; a good ])hotograph is reproduced on pi. v, fig. 3. 



Genus Narcine, Henle. 



Disk longer than broad , distinct from tail , which bears two dorsal fins and has a fold 

 of skin along each side. Pectoral fins well developed ; pelvic fins not united 

 behind tlie anus. Eyes close to the spiracles, well developed. Nasal valves con- 

 fluent. Mouth tubular and protrusible ; its cleft narrow and straight. Teeth 

 pointed, with a single cusp, which is directed backwards and in some .species 

 feebly developed. 



At first sight this genus is very near Torpedo, from which Giinther says that it 

 " differs in having the spiracles almost immediately behind the eye." He also says 

 that the teeth sometimes have a median point, which, however, does not project. I 

 cannot, however, see any real difference between the two genera in respect to the teeth ; 

 whether the ' ' median point ' ' projects or not is due to the position of the mouth 

 and to the angle at which the teeth' are examined, while the absence of a median 

 point is often due to its being worn away. So far as the Indian species are concerned, 

 there is a very marked difference between the two genera in respect to the shape of 

 the mouth, which in Torpedo is evidently capable of being widely opened, although it 

 appears to be somewhat protrusible, while in Narcine it can be thrust out bodily as a 

 tubular structure with a narrow, transver.se, slit-like aperture. 



Narcine has long been known to be represented in Indian seas by two shallow- 

 water forms, which Day regarded as mere colour varieties, while Lloyd has recently 

 described a deep-sea species. I feel obliged to separate the two former from one 

 another as distinct .species for reasons given below. Here I may say that Lloyd's 

 A^. mollis is closely related to the form I have described as N . bntiinea, although clearly 

 distinct from that form. It is distinguished by the uniform dark colour of its dorsal and 



' In comparing the teeth of these genera great care must be taken to select teeth from the back of 

 the jaws, where they have not been worn. Some of Dumeril's figures (Nai. His!. I'oiss., pi. xi) rather 

 suggest thnt he did not adopt this precaution. 



