58 CIIONDBOPTEUYUII. BATOIDEI. 



Synopsis of Indian Genera. 



A. Teeth large, flattened, tessellated. 

 Fins on head meet in the form of a soft appendage in 

 front of snout. Teeth in several series, the 



middle being the broadest 1. MYMOBATIS. 



Only one series of very broid teeth '2. \K ron.vris. 



Fins on either side of snout form a lobe 3. KIIINOPTKBA. 



13. Teeth small ; cephalic fins forming an appandage 



on either side of snout. 

 Teeth in both jaws 4. DICKIIOBATIS. 



1. Genus MYLIOBATIS, Cuvier. 



Head distinct from disk ; snout with a soft prolongation, in- 

 ternally supported by fin-rays ; nasal valves coalescent, forming a 

 quadrangular flap. Teeth hexagonal, flat, the central broader 

 than long ; the external rows narrow *. Tail very long and whip- 

 like, having a dorsal fin near its base, and usually a serrated spine 

 posterior to the fin. Body smooth or tuberculated above. 



Geographical Distribution. Tropical and temperate seas. 



Synopsis of Indian Species. 



Body smooth. The young with five blue cross 



bands on the upper surface, disappearing 



with age 1. M. nieuhofii, p. 53. 



A row of small tubercles in the median. line of the 



scapular region. Ocelli with brown margins 



in the posterior half of the upper surface of 



disk 2. M. maculata, p. 59. 



63. (1.) Myliobatis nieuhofii. 



llaja uieuhofii, El. Schn. Syst. Ich. p. 304. 

 Myliobatis nieuhofii, Day, Fish. India, p. 742 (see synon.). 

 Tuppa koollee or Chuppa tirike, Tamil ; Mookarah tenkee, Tel. 



Disk about twice as broad as long ; tail about three times as 

 long as disk. Fleshy prolongation of snout short : no horn on 

 orbit. Body smooth. Fins dorsal situated at commencement of 

 base of tail, opposite the end of the insertion of the ventrals ; no 

 spines posterior to it. Colour olive superiorly, tinged externally 

 with a reddish hue and a dark outer margin to the disk. The 

 young have about seven blue bands across the disk and two more 

 between or close to the eyes. As the fish increases in size, first 

 the bands on the head disappear and finally those on the body. 



Hob. Seas of India to the Malay Archipelago and Japan. 



In the young the rows of teeth are of equal size and regularly hexagonal. 



