390 Survey of Fishing- Grounds, West Coast of Ireland, 1890—1891. 



The upper surface of the disk is smooth, or very nearly so, over tlie cheek 

 muscles, the gill-chambers, and the fleshy parts of the jDCctoral fins, as outlined 

 laterally from the posterior alar sexual species forwards to the anterior alar patch, 

 and backwards to the insertion of the pelvis. The lateral parts of the abdomen 

 and the pelvic fins are also smooth. Elsewhere the upper surface is beset with 

 asperities, minute over the vertebral abdominal region, and largest and most 

 closely set on the anterior-third of the snout, and along the anterior margins of 

 the pectorals. No large spines are present, exclusive of the sexual alar sjjines. 



The under surface is everywhere beset with asperities, except on the claspers. 

 The rest of the pelvic, and the posterior flange of the pectoral, is nearly smooth, 

 while the asperities are most numerous, and largest, along the anterior margin. 



There is thus between adult males and females only that difference in the 

 development of the asperities of the disk which is characteristic of the genus. 



The colour of the upper surface is a cold sepia, lightest on the head, except at 

 the end of the snout. There are about 20 rather ill-defined roundish spots on the 

 fleshy part of each wing. Each spot has a small pale yellow centre, from which 

 the colour shades through yellowish-white into that of the general surface of the 

 disk, the whole area of each spot being about three-eighth inch in diameter. The 

 juncture of the anterior limb of the pectoral to the head is outlined, from opposite 

 the eye forwards, by a row of black punctures. Similar punctures extend along 

 the anterior margin, and are present in a small group near the posterior extremity 

 of the pectoral. There are no dark pigment patches whatever ; the under surface 

 is an uniform grey, with black ^junctures. 



A number of specimens of both sex, from Rockall, agree with the Iceland 

 examples in the general arrangement of the pigment, but the prevailing colour is 

 grey rather than brown, while the spots are whitish. The water on the " flat of 

 the rock," where these specimens were probably caught, is from 30 to 40 fathoms 

 deep, but it is quite possible that some may have come from much deeper water. 



Teeth. — Day remarks that there are about 46 rows in the upper jaw, but does 

 not say to what size of specimen this statement may apply. The specimen he 

 figured was about 28 inches across the disk, if the scale of tlie drawing is correctly 

 stated. The smallest example we have described has 38 rows, the larger teeth 

 measuring about 1'4 mm. across the base. There is a short pointed central cusp, 

 very feebly keeled in front, and a well-detined shoulder on each side. The 50 inch 

 example from deep water has 48 rows in the upper jaw. 



The Iceland male specimen has only 38 rows in the upper jaw, which is rather 

 remarkable in view of the large size of the specimen. In the central part of the 

 jaws the cusps are elongated, sharply pointed, and strongly keeled in front, and 

 the shoulder fairly well-marked. These characters are less conspicuous in the 

 lateral teeth. 



