SHARKS AND RAYS OF BEAUFORT, NORTH CAROLINA. 273 



Armature of the skin (male). — Tip of snout armed with small, forward projecting conical tubercles, a 

 narrow band of these along anterior margin of disk endiiig in advance of outer angle of disk; a triangular 

 intramarginal patch of large, depressed, sharp-pointed tentacula opposite the eyes; these point inward 

 and backward; a large area of similar tentacula opposite angles, situated one-third of distance from 

 angle to median line of back; small tubercles over eyes and behind spiracles; a more or less complete 

 row of spinelike tubercles along median line of tail and between dorsals; a similar row along each side 

 of tail, immediately aoove lateral fold; minute tubercles scatteringly present over upper surface of tail; 

 outer ventral surface of snout armed with small recurved tubercles. 



In the female the patches of tentacula are absent. The above description of teeth and denticles 

 is based on a male 101.6 cm. (40 inches) long and a female iig.4 cm. (47 inches) long, from Woods Hole, 

 Mass. 



Color in alcohol. — Dorsal surface wood brown with scattered, unequal spots of clove brown, which 

 vary in size from that of pupil to nearly that of orbit. Ventral surface cream color, pores black. 



The Fish Hawk is reported to have collected small specimens off Cape Lookout on August 14, 1902, 

 at station 7310 in 18 fathoms. Coles reports that the species is exceedingly rare and that he has taken 

 specimens of a \yidth of 4 feet on the rocks far offshore. 



Family DASYBATID/E. The sting rays. 



KEY TO THE GENERA. 



a. Tail long, whiplike, with one or more serrated spines; disksubquadrangulartosubcircular. .Dasybatus. 

 aa. Tail moderate to short, with a serrated spine (sometimes absent in young). 



b. Disk subcircular Urobatis. 



bb. Disk much broader than long, rhomboidal Pieroplatea. 



Genus DASYBATUS Klein in Schauplatz. 



KEY TO NORTH CAROLINA SPECIES OF DASYBATUS. 



a. Pashnachus: Tail with a keel or winglike expansion below only; disk quadrangular, its length 

 1.25 in its breadth; body of the young smooth; adult with broad stellate based, conical pointed, 

 irregularly placed bucklers on the middle of the hinder part of the back and on top and sides of 



taii marinus. 



aa. Dasybatus: Tail with a low, black keel above and a broad, black winglike expansion below. 

 6. Disk quadrangular, a little broader than long; young smooth; adult with a median row of tu- 

 bercles along highest part of back and one or two on each shoulder; a small light gray or white 

 spot on median line of snout immediately in front of eyes in adult; angle of disk, 54° . . hastatus. 

 aaa. Amphotistius: Tail with a winglike expansion above and a larger one below. 



c. Winglike expansions light-colored, yellowish to orange in life; disk subcircular; snout produced, 



pointed; in the adult the skin is more or less prickly, especially on interorbital area; a row of 

 well-developed tubercles along median line of back and tail, one or two tubercles on each 



shoulder; verj'young smooth; angieof disk, 53° sabinus. 



cc. Winglike expansions black; disk quadrangular (narrower and more rounded than in hastatus); 

 snout blunt; skin nearly or quite smooth; a few tubercles along highest part of back and one 

 or two on shoulders in adults; angle of disk, 59° say. 



27. Dasybatus hastatus (De Kay). Sting ray; stingaree. 



Dasyatis hastata, Coles, 1910, p. 338; Gudger. 1913a, p. 4; Coles. 1914. p. 93. 

 Dasybatus hastatus. Gannan, 1913, p. 391. 



Teelk. — In a male (length of disk, 50.8 cm.) the teeth are in about — rows, reddish-brown in color, 



exposed surface of upper teeth and of lower teeth except near angle of mouth leaflike, with a sharp- 

 pointed, very slender acuminate tip; teeth near angles of lower jaw with their posterior edge rounded, 

 ridged. 



In a female 153.2 cm. long the teeth are in about— rows, in pavement, irregularly rhomboidal in 

 outline; yellow in color. 



