66 Bulletin 47, United States National Museum. 



Teeth f$. Gill openings narrow. Skin everywhere, above and below, 

 covered with fine shagreen, the prickles coarser on the anterior outer 

 margin of the pectorals ( $ ), where are 2 or 3 rows of retrorse spines ; 



4 strong spines on the tip of the snout, forming a rhombic figure ; 4 or 



5 spines around each eye; along series of very strong spines along the 

 median line of back and tail, and a series of similar ones on each side 

 of the tail ; a single strong spine on the outer edge of the shoulder girdle 

 and 2 between this and the median series. Breadth of disk -<$ more than 

 its length; tail usually i longer than disk; snout f of length of disk, 

 not i longer than width of interorbital area. Color light olive brown , 

 without distinct markings. L. 2 feet. Coast of California from Point 

 Concepcion southward; abundant, (triseriatus, 3-rowed, iromthe spines 

 on the tail.) 



Platyrhina triseriala, JORDAN & GILBERT, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1880, 36, Santa Barbara' 



California. (Type, No. 26893.) 



Rhinobatustriseriatus, JORDAN & GILBERT, Synopsis, 64, 1883. 

 Platyrhinoidistriseriatus, GARMAN, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1880, 522. 



Family XXIV. RAJID^E. 



(THE SKATES.) 



Disk broad, rhombic, the skin more or less roughened with spines or 

 prickles; tail stout, rather long, with a longitudinal fold on each side; 

 usually 2 dorsal fins and sometimes a caudal fin present, all on the tail ; 

 pectoral fins extending to the snout; ventrals large; no serrated spine 

 on the tail ; no electric organs. Oviparous, the eggs being laid in large 

 leathery egg cases, 4-angled, with 2 long tubular " horns" at each end. 

 Genera 4 or more ; species 40, most of them belonging to the genus Raja. 

 Found in all cool seas, some of them in deep water. (RAJID^E, Giinther, 

 vm, 455-471.) 



a. Caudal fin rudimentary or absent; pectorals not confluent around the snout; ventrals 

 deeply notched. RAJA, 48. 



48. RAJA, (Artedi) Linnaeus. 



Baja (ARTEDI) LINN^US, Syt. Nat., Ed. x, 1758, 231, (batis). 



Dipturus, RAFINESQTJE, Caratteri, 16, 1810, (batis). 



Plalopterus, RAFINESQUE, Analyse de la Nature, 93, 1815, (batis). 



Dasybatus, BLAINVILLE, Journ. Phys., 1816, 260 (communis). 



Proplerygia, OTTO, Nova acta Acad. Cses. Leop. Carol. Nat. Curios., 1824, 111, (hyposticla; mon- 

 strous example, with fins not adnate to head). 



Lseviraja, BONAPARTE, Fauna Italica, xxv, 130, 1839, (oxyrhynchus). 



Uraptera, MULLER & HENLE, Plagiostomen, 155, 1838, (agassizi) ; (species without caudal fin.) 



Batis, BONAPARTE, Cat. Metod., 12, 1846, radula, no description. 



Malacorhinus, GARMAN, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., xr, 236, 1881, (phtionia) (species with imperfect 

 rostral cartilage; probably recognizable asavalid genus, when the species are better known.) 



Raia, various authors, change of spelling. 



This genus, as here understood, comprises all those Bajidce which have 

 the pectoral fins not continued around the snout, the ventrals deeply 

 notched, and the caudal fin little developed or wanting. The tail is very 

 distinct from the disk, and is provided with 2 rayed dorsal fins. The skin 

 of the body is usually more or less spinous ; the dentition differs in the 



