364 



THE PLAGIOSTOMIA. 



Raia lemprieri. 



Rata lemprieri Richardson, 1848, Erebus & Terror, Fish., p. 34, pi. 23; Dum^ril, 1865, Elasm., p. 552; 



GtJNTH., 1870, Cat. fishes Brit, mus., 8, p. 463; Castelnau, 1872, Proc. Zool. & acclim. soc. Victoria, 



1, p. 224; Macleay, 1881, Proc. Linn. soc. N. S. Wales, 6, p. 375. 

 Raia dentata Klunzinger, 1872, Archiv. f. nat., 38, p. 46; Macleay, 1884, Proc. Linn. soc. N. S. Walea, 



9, p. 63. 

 Raia australis Macleay, 1883, Proc. Linn. soc. N. S. Wales, 8, p. 461; Waite, 1899, Mem. Austr. mus., 



4, p. 40, pi. 4. 



Disk broader than long; a continuation of the anterior margins would meet 

 in a blunt angle beyond which the snout is slightly produced; anterior margin 

 concave opposite the spiracle. Snout pointed, length nearly twice the inter- 

 spiracular width. Mouth curved; teeth acutely sharp in males. Disk about 

 half the total length. Upper parts rough with small spines, somewhat larger 

 on snout, head, anterior margins, and top of tail; small tubercles in a group above 

 the anterior extremities of the pectorals, in a row on the orbital ridge, in a verte- 

 bral series from head to dorsals more or less interrupted over the abdomen and 

 anteriorly, in an irregular row or in two rows at each side of the median series on 

 the tail. A band of erectile tenacula near the outer ends of each pectoral on 

 males. The male is mature at a length of twenty inches. 



Back brown to greyish brown ; below white more or less blotched with brown, 

 openings of pores black. The type originally described from Van Dieman's 

 Land was blackish grey and had black on the end of the snout above and below, 

 and under the tip of the tail, marks not mentioned in connection with Australian 

 specimens; this may indicate varietal differences for the two localities, in which 

 case the later described form will be known as Raia lemprieri var. australis. 



Raia murrayi. 



Raia murrayi Gunther, 1880, Challenger rept. Zool, 1, p. 15, pi. 5. 



Disk broader than long, anterior angle nearly 90°, snout somewhat produced, 

 anterior margins concave in the middle, outer and hinder angles and margins 

 broadly rounded. Width of interorbital space equal to length of orbit. Mouth 

 curved, width equal half the length of the snout; teeth pointed. Ventrals 

 deeply notched, anterior portion small. Back and tail rough with small spines 

 on young and females; disk much smoother on males. Male with tenacula near 

 the outer angles of the pectorals. A tubercle in front of, and another behind 

 each orbit, four to six in a triangle on the middle of the back, sixteen to eighteen 



