Jordan and Evermann. Fishes of North America. 77 



1.1. Spiracles rounded, with entire edges, (not fringed). TETKONARCE,* 49. 



cc. Spiracles placed close behind the eyes, not fringed, but with the margin sometimes 



tuberculate. NARCINE, 50. 



Ib. Ventral fins united ; spiracles close to the eyes, not fringed. DISCOPYGE, 51. 



49. TETRONARCE, Gill. 



Tttmiuirce, GILL, Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist. N. Y., 1861, vin, 387, (occidentals). 

 (liliiniotorpedo, FuiTSCH, Arch. Anat. Phys., 1886,365, (occidentals). 



Electric rays with the disk very broad, abruptly contracted at the tail; 

 2 dorsal fins; caudal fin well developed; ventral fins large, separate; 

 spiracles large, rounded, with entire (not fringed) edges, placed behind 

 the eyes ; mouth small ; teeth pointed ; skin perfectly smooth. Species 

 about 4, 2 European, the others American. (rerpu-,four four-cornered; 

 vupK7/, an old name of Tetronarce narce, meaning numbness, equivalent to 

 Torpedo.) 



a. Color nearly uniform black, rarely spotted ; first dorsal over middle of ventrals. 



OCCIDENTALS, 110. 



CM Color dark brown, usually spotted with black ; first dorsal inserted behind middle of ven- 

 trals. CALIFORNICA, 111. 



110. TETRONARCE OCCIDENTALS, (Storer). 

 (CRAMPFISH ; TORPEDO ; NUMBFISH.) 



First dorsal more than twice as large as second, its insertion over mid- 

 dle of the ventrals ; spiracles not fringed, their edges smooth. Color 

 almost uniform black, with obscure darker spots ; beneath white. L. 2 

 to 5 feet ; breadth f of length, the disk very blunt or almost emarginate 

 in front. Atlantic coast of United States, Cape Cod to Cuba ; not very 

 common. A large species, allied to the European T. nobiliana, said to 

 reach a weight of 200 pounds. According to the figures, T. noUliana has 

 the second dorsal smaller and inserted farther back, (occidentalis, western. ) 



Torpedo occidentalis, STORER, Am. Jour. Sci. Arts, 1843, 165, Massachusetts. 

 Torpedo occidentalis, STORER, Fishes Mass., 247, 1867. 

 Torpedo occidentals, JORDAN & GILBERT, Synopsis, 39, 1883. 



111. TETRONARCE CALIFORNICA, (Ayres). 

 (CALIFORNIA TORPEDO.) 



Color very dark brown, with small round black spots, which are 

 sometimes obsolete. Eye small; spiracles at a distance behind them 

 more than twice eye and more than length of spiracle ; edges of spira- 

 cles not fringed; breadth of mouth about equal to its distance from tip 

 of snout ; teeth small, sharp. First dorsal more than twice second, half 

 of it opposite ventrals. A large species, reaching a length of about 3 

 feet. Coast of California, on sandy shores, scarce, rarely seen except 

 about San Francisco and Santa Cruz; not noticed south of Monterey. 

 Perhaps not different from T. occidentalis. 



* In the Old World genus Narcobatus, the typical genus of the family, the edges of the spiracles 

 are fringed with papilla?. The synonymy of this genus is : 



Torpedo, DUMKRIL, Zoiil. Anal., 102, 1806, (torpedo) ; name preoccupied for an electric catfish. 

 Xarcobatn*, BLAINVILLE, Journ. Phys., 1810, 202, (iiiacidntn*, <j<ilrni, etc.). 

 Narcacion, (KLEIN), BLEEKEU, Nederl. Tidskr. Dierk. m, 171, (torpedo). 

 Fiinbriotorpedo, FRITSCH, Arch. Anat. Phys. 1886, 3G5,(mar>norata torpedo). 



