The Spotted Eagle Ray. 



261 



view of a female 7 feet 2 inches wide. Figures 10 and 11 are head-on and 

 ventral views of the same fish. Figure 10 is the first head-on view ever 

 published, and the only ventral representation except the Jordan and 

 Evermann drawing, (text-fig. 4) is figure 1 1 . Unfortunately this last is taken 

 at too flat an angle to give a clear representation of the whole ventral 

 surface. Further attention will be called to these figures in other sections.^ 

 The following table gives in comparative form the measurements (in 

 inches), absolute and relative, of the various specimens of the spotted eagle 

 ray described by the authors previously quoted: 



Author. 



Length. Breadth. Tail 



B =Lx T =Lx 



Abbeville 72 



Marcgrave 18 



Euphrasen* .... 



Bloch & Schneider 



Ruppell 1 . . . . 



Russell 10 



Miiller & Henle 12 



Forster \ 11 



Cantor 



Bleeker 



Dumeril 



Klunzinger 



Day. 



Jordan & Evermann 



Beaufort, 1901 



Gudger, 1909 



Coles, 1909 



Gudger (Beaufort, 1910), I. . . . 



II. . . 



III. . 



Coles, 1910 



Jenkins 



Miranda Ribeiro 



Gunther 



Coles (Cape Lookout, 1912) I. . 



III. 



III. 



Gudger (Key West, 1913) I . . . . 



II. . . 



III. . 

 IV... 



34 

 28 



20.5 



II-7S 



62 

 52 

 35 

 33-75 



26 



18 



16 



19 



18.5 



26.5 



36 



IS-S 



48 

 26 

 23.5 



28.S 

 27.S 

 37 

 69 



31 + 



56 



40.5 



35-5 



33 



39-5 



27.8 



69 



32.5 



II 



24-5 

 23 

 24 

 32 



37-75 

 44-S 

 60 

 82 



2.6 



3-4 



2.3 



1-9 



1.6 



2 — 



2 



1.67 



1.84 



1.4 



1.5 



1-5 



1-5 



1-4 



1.9 



2 + 



1.3 

 1.4 

 1.4 

 1-9 



2.8 



3 



3 



4 



6.2 



4-3 



3-2 



4-7 



3 + 

 3 to 4 

 3 to 3-5 

 3 to 4 

 3 to 4 



2.2 



2.3 



2.2 



1.7 



2.1 



I 



1.9 



2 

 3 to 4 



4 



1.6 

 1.9 

 2.5 

 2.6 



SPECIFIC DESCRIPTIONS. 



COLOR AND MARKINGS. 



A'etohatus narinari shows such marked variations in color of both the 

 general upper surface of the body and of the spots, that it may not be 

 without value to summarize here the work of the various investigations 

 previously cited and to give my rather full observations of the specimens 

 which I have examined. 



Marcgrave (1648) says that the upper part of the body is of a steel 

 (fenetis) color while "scattered over the entire fish are white spots about the 

 size of a nummus misnicus." This would indicate that they are found on 

 the head, though his figure does not so show. However, they are shown 

 on the head in the water-color painting. In his colored figure the upper 

 surface is a dark steel-blue with white spots. Piso (1658) also speaks of 

 its color being blue. 



1 In an interesting book on fishing in Florida, "The Giant Fish of Florida," J. Turner-Turner (1902) 

 describes the capture of a number of spotted sting rays. His figures, made from photographs, are quite good. 

 His descriptions need not detain us here. 



