264 Papers from the Marine Biological Labor atory at Tor tu gas. 



Jordan, in his "Fishes of Sinaloa" (1895), describes an A. narinari from 

 the Pacific Coast of Mexico whose "Color is bluish-black with many round 

 yellowish spots scattered equally over the back and ventral fins; spots 

 about as large as eye on back, smaller on head; sometimes two spots run 

 together, forming an elliptical spot [see here fig. i, plate i of this paper]; 

 about 16 spots from eye along anterior margin of pectoral to lateral angle; 

 posterior margin of pectoral very narrowly margined with white [see my 

 fig. i]; ventral side pearly white." 



On page 2753 of volume iii (1898) of the "Fishes of North and Middle 

 America," Jordan, over his own signature, repeats the description of his 

 Mazatlan specimens from Sinaloa and adds that there are no noticeable 

 differences between these (sometimes identified as A. laticeps) and the 

 West Indian specimens. A careful comparison of his description with the 

 photograph serving as a frontispiece for this paper will show how true this 

 is for Beaufort specimens. Jordan calls particular attention to the dif- 

 ferences between specimens from Mazatlan (above) and the original type 

 specimen of A . laticeps, whose locality is unknown but which was received 

 from San Francisco. Its color was "bluish-black with numerous rounded 

 yellowish spots on head, smaller than eye, much larger on body, assuming 

 on the pectoral the form of ocelli." (Page 88, vol. i.) 



Evermann and Marsh, in their "Fishes of Porto Rico" (1900), describe 

 the life color of a specimen taken at Culebra Island, near Porto Rico : " General 

 color of whole upper surface light chocolate brown, everywhere covered 

 with roundish or oblong pearly or bluish spots or blotches, largest about 

 size of eye, smallest less than half as large; under surface milky white except 

 margin of snout, which is dark gray; tail uniform chocolate brown; iris 

 yellowish gray." They reproduce the figures in Jordan and Evermann 

 above referred to. 



Jenkins (1904) found this beautiful ray rather common at Honolulu, but 

 •only made a critical examination of one specimen. He describes it as 

 having a blue dorsum covered with very many clearly marked white ocellus- 

 like spots about the size of the eye, the head in front of the spiracles being 

 devoid of spots and therein very unlike the Beaufort specimens. 



Calling our ray Stoasodon narinari, Jordan and Evermann (1905), in 

 their "Fishes of the Hawaiian Islands," find specimens from Honolulu and 

 Hilo to have exactly the same colors as those from Porto Rico. One in 

 life was bluish-gray on the dorsal surface and slightly darker on the pectorals, 

 while the back was covered with bluish-white spots, of which those in the 

 middle region were largest and those on the edges of the fins smallest, 

 exactly as may be seen in my photograph of one Beaufort specimen. 



Jordan's "Guide to the Study of Fishes," volume i (1905), tells us that 

 Aetobatiis narinari "is showily colored, brown with yellowish spots." 



In collaboration with Scale (1907) Jordan describes one specimen from 

 Cavite, Philippine Islands: "In spirits the color is brownish, the upper 

 surface of the disk covered with pale blue spots. The pale spots are much 



