RAJIFORMES 



157 



its pelvic ' claspers ' Rhina distinctly resembles the Rajidae, arid differs 

 from the Squaliforines. On the whole, it is a beautifully intermediate 

 form between the shark-like and ray-like families. Many authors place 

 the * Angel-fish ' with the sharks ; however, it is scarcely possible to 

 believe that so many skate -like characters have been independently 



A 



rut 



cb? 



Fio. 120. 



Skull and visceral arches of Raja, ventral view. (After Gegenbaur.) a.p, antorbital process ; 

 bb, compound basibranchial ; c, basihyal ; c6 5 , fifth ceratobranchial ; hb, hypobranchial ; hm, 

 hyoniandibular ; I, labial ; m.k, Meckel's cartilage ; 110, nasal capsule ; pb, pharyngobranchial ; 

 P'l, palato-quadrate ; r, rostrum. 



acquired, and it seems more reasonable to suppose that the Squatinidae 

 represent an early offshoot from near the base of the Rajiform stem. 

 They were represented in Upper Jurassic times by a well- differentiated 

 species, Squatina speciosa, differing from the modern Rhina chiefly in 

 the possession of fewer calcified concentric lamellae in the vertebrae 

 (A. S. Woodward [503]). 



Squatina, Bel. ; to Jurassic, Europe. 



Rhina, Angel-fish, Klein ; tropical and temperate seas. 



