332 



THE PLAGIOSTOMIA. 



30, snout to pores 15.5, snout to ends of pectorals 16, and greatest width 15.5 

 inches. 



Dark brownish, uniform, clouded, or spotted with small spots of white 

 and of dark; lower surfaces brownish, ends of tubes dark. 



This species and R. stabuliforis are separated by the dentition; in most 

 other respects they are much alike. 



Off the coasts of Europe. 



Raia alba. 



Sharp nosed ray Pennant, 1769, Zool., 3, p. G4; Low, 1813, Fauna Oread., p. 168. 



Raia laeris major Duhamel, 1782, Traite, 4, p. 285, pi. 11, f. 3, 4. 



Raia alba Lacepede, 1803, Poissons, 5, p. 661, pi. 20, f. 1; Blainv., 1830, Poiss. Fr., p. 14; Moreau. 



1881, Poiss. France, 1, p. 412; Day, 1884, Brit, fishes, 2, p. 339, pi. 168. 

 Raia marginata Lacepede, 1803, Poissons, 2, p. 663, pi. 20, f. 2; Risso, 1826, Hist, nat., 3, Poissons, 



p. 148; Blainv., 1830, Poiss. Fr., p. L9, pi. 3, f. 2; Jenyns, 1835, Man., p. 512; Bonaparte, 



1841, Icon. Fauna Ital., Pesci, p. 471, pi. 61; MiJLLER & Henle, 1841, Plagios., p. 140; Dum^ril, 



1865, Elasm., p. 568; GtJNTH., 1870, Cat. fishes Brit, mus., 8, p. 465. 

 Raia oxyrynchus Turton, 1806, System., 1, p. 926; Montagu, 1815, Mem. Worn, soc, 2, p. 423; 



Fleming, 1828, Brit, anim., p. 171; Jenyns, 1835, Man., p. 511; Thompson, 1856, Nat. hist. 



Ireland, 4, p. 259. 

 Raia rosleXlata Risso, 1810, Ichth. Nice, p. 8, pi. 1, 2. 

 Raia hicolor Risso, 1826, Hist, nat.., 3, Poissons, p. 155. 



The bordered ray Yarrell, 1836, Brit, fishes, 2, p. 426; Couch, 1867, Brit, fishes, 1, p. 110, pi. 26. 

 Laeviraia braniante Sassi, 1846, Nouv. ann. Soc. nat. Bologna, 6, p. 386; Canestrini, 1864, Mem. 



Real accad. sci. Torino, ser. 2, 21, pi. 1, f. 2-5; Doderlein, 1884, Man. ittiol. Medit., 3, p. 164. 

 Raia lintca Kroyer, 1853, Damn, fiske, 3, p. 1005. 

 Burton skate Couch, 1867, Brit, fishes, 1, p. 97, pi. 21 (excl. syn.). 



Disk rhomboid, length of body less than two thirds of its width, anterior 

 margins deeply undulated, outer angles nearly 90°, hinder margins broadly 

 rounded backward almost straight or slightly concave near the outer angles. 

 Snout long, narrow, acuminate, length twice the width of the mouth or more. 

 Mouth large, moderately curved; teeth small, in 46 (40-46) rows, cusps sharp, 

 keel-like. Tail half or less than half of the total length, much depressed, re- 

 taining width backward, pointed behind the dorsals. Dorsals separated by a 

 space with a tubercle. Tubercles compressed, hooked: one in front and one 

 behind each orbit, a median and two lateral series on the tail extending to the 

 second dorsal. Back smooth; lower surface rough with small slender spines 

 below the snout and the anterior edges of the pectorals. Males with tenacula. 



Back light reddish brown, more or less spotted with white, darker toward 

 the outer margins; translucent spaces at sides of rostral cartilage white; lower 

 parts brownish white to white anteriorly, and brown below the outer portions 

 of pectorals and ventrals; tail dark below, blackish above, brownish at the sides. 



Specimen described a young male from Nice: total length 12, snout to 



