270 



BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 



Nostrils a little wider than their distance apart, the latter one-half mouth; a long, narrow median 

 flap on front margin of nostril and a narrow aiixiliary flap extending for one-half distance to inner angle 

 of nostril; posterior margin with an inner median flap, larger than one on anterior margin and two broad 

 flaps on outer margin. Distance between angles of mouth slightly more than one-third distance from 

 mouth to tip of snout; length of spiracles about equal to horizontal diameter of exposed portion of orbit, 

 with two lobes, outer larger; supraocular lobe of orbit large; outer margin of pectorals broadly curved, 

 strongly convex near axis; dorsals subequal, base of first one-third of its distance from base of ventrals, 

 posterior margins truncate; caudal of moderate size, subcaudal convex. 



Color in alcohol. — Dorsal surface light grayish-olive, thickly sprinkled with small spots of lighter 

 coloration; clear space on either side of rostral cartilage olive-buff; pectorals and ventrals margined with 

 lighter, with traces of a narrow intramarginal band of darker coloration. Ventral surface light naph- 



1?^ 



I^ 



Fig. 24.— Denticles, Rkinobatus Untitmosus, 53.5 cm. lone, from Cape Lookout, N. C. A. Denticles on clear space on either side 

 of rostral cartilage; B, denticles on back opposite axil of pectorals; C, denticles on side of body below first dorsal fin. 



thalene yellow, under siuface of tip of snout dark gray; this area extends backward in a narrow, trian- 

 gular patch, more than half way to front of mouth and along each side of snout to opposite nostrils. Fins 

 slightly darker than ventral surface. The dark coloration on under side of snout is said to be character- 

 istic of percellens. 



Family NARCACIONTIDi€. The electric rays. 



G«nus NARCmS Henle. 

 23. Narcine brasiliensis corallina Garman. Shockfish; small electric ray. 



tTorpedooccidenUdis, Jenkins. 1887. p. 84 (not of Yarrow). 



Narcint brasiliensis. Coles. 1910, p. 337. p. 347; Bean and Weed. 1911. 



p. 33: id-, 1914. p. 93. 

 Narcine brasiiiensis ccrallina, Garman, 1913. p. 29S. pi. 26. fig. 3. 



p. 232. pi. 10, 11; Gudger, 1913a, p. 2; Coles, 1913. 



Teeth. — In a male 27.7 cm. long the teeth are— -rows, close-set, arranged in quincunx; dental 



plate narrow, folded outward; teeth small, base subcircular; posterior grinding surface ending in a 

 narrow, pointed cusp, margin of cusp continuous with anterior margin of tooth. 



In a female 34 cm. long the teeth are more flattened, grinding surface, including cusp, more nearly 



horizontal, cusp less prominent; teeth in — rows, less crowded than in the male. Skin smooth. 



Examples from Cape Lookout appear to agree more closely in color pattern with Carman's sub- 

 species corallina than either of the other forms. According to Coles this species is a regular visitor at 

 Cape Lookout, arriving in the bight of the cape on the night of July 4 of each year. 



There is no authentic record of the occurrence of the Torpedo, Narcacion nobiliamis, on this coast. 

 The small electric ray {corallina) is known to the cape fishermen as "shockfish." It therefore seems 

 probable that the form described by Jenkins was this species and not the Torpedo. 



