28o 



BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 



Measurements of a Female 142 Cm. (56 Inches) in Length. 



Tip of snout to origin of dorsal 55- o 



Tip of cephalic appendage to tip of pectoral 72. 5 



Breadth of disk iii.o 



Tip of cephalic appendage to vent 69. 3 



Eye 2.5 



Interorbital 21.0 



Preoral length 15.3 



Width of moutli 15. 1 



Height of dorsal 7.0 



Base of dorsal 7.3 



Tip of tail to ven t 77.0 



Tip of ventral to vent 12.8 



In this individual both uteri were equally developed, the erabrj'os which were presumably quite 

 young, had been extruded. The inner stu^ace of the uterine wall was covered with the characteristic 

 vascular villi. The uterine milk was greenish in color and more fluid than in an example of D. say 

 examined. 



The red corpuscles in this specimen were iS^i long by up broad, the nucleus 6.6^1 by 3. 6m or less. 



The stomach was completely filled with countless numbers of a small Mysis-like crustacean, together 

 with a quantity of mud. The remarkable development of the gill filaments is shown in the illustration. 

 These are well adapted for straining out small organisms. This and the character of the teeth lead to 

 the conclusion that its habit of feeding on small fishes, as described by Coles, is a very unusual one, and 

 an examination of the stomach contents of individuals actually observed feeding on the fishes is desir- 

 able. The stomach contents of nine specimens taken at Cape Lookout July 10, 1913, were examined 

 by Prof. W. P. Hay and in every case were found to contain only the Mysis-like crustacean. 



Genus MANTA Bancroft. 



37. Manta birostris (Walbaum). Devilfish. 



Ceratoptera vampirus. Yarrow. 1877, p. 216; Jordan and Gilbert, 1879, p. 386. 



Manta birostris. Jordan, 18S6. p. 26: Jenkins. rSS?. p. 85; "Wilson, 1900. p. 355; Smith. r907. p. 47; Gudger. 1912, p. 152; Coles, 

 1914. p. 94. 



Tee^A.^" Teeth minute, rasplike, on the lower jaw only, occupying the entire width of the jaw, in 

 about 100 rows separated by interspaces (on the young). "<i 



Body and tail rough with small tubercles. There appears to be some uncertainty as to whether 

 there is a barbed spine on the tail. 



The numbers of examples of Mobula hypostoma taken by Coles at Cape Lookout and the rarity of 

 observations of the present species, lead one to suspect that in the majority of cases the earlier records 

 were of the former species. To date, there is no authentic record of the capture of one of these huge 

 rays in this region. That it is found here is not questioned. 



a Garman, The Plagiostomia, p. 454. 



