r 



RHINOPTERA JUSSIEUI. 447 



Rhinoptera adspersa. 



Rhinoptera adspersa Muller & Henle, 1841, Plagios., p. 183; Jerdon, 1851, Madras journ., p. 149; 



DuMERiL, 1865, Elasm., p. 648; Gunth., 1870, Cat. fishes Brit, mus., 8, p 494; Day, 1878, Ind. 



fishes, p. 744. 

 Micromesus adspersus Gill, 1865, Ann. N. Y. lye, 8, p. 136 (name only). 



Snout broad and proportionately short. Upper teeth in nine rows, middle 

 row and second on each side of it about equal, each of teeth less than three times 

 as broad as long, narrower than the rows separating them. Lower teeth in 

 seven rows, middle row wider, other rows narrowing to the outer. Disk about 

 twice as wide as long. Tail more than three times the length of the disk. Dorsal 

 origin little behind base of ventrals. Back rough with small stellate-based 

 spines. 



Greenish brown, lighter below. 



Indian Ocean. 



Rhinoptera jussieui. 



Plate 48, fig. 1-3 (teeth); Plate 54, fig. 5 (pelvis); Plate 55, fig. 10 (vertebrae); Plate 57, 

 fig. 5 (heart); Plate 59, fig. 9 (gills); Plate 74, fig. 1-3 (skeleton). 



Myliohatis jussieui Cuv., 1829, Reg. anim., 2, p. 401; Voigt, 1832, Thierreich, 2, p. 524. 



Rhinoptera brasiliensis Muller, 1835, Anat. Mj^xin., p. 173, 276, pi. 9, f. 12; Muller & Henle, 1841, 



Plagios., p. 182; Dumeril, 1865, Elasm., p. 646; GtJNTH., 1870, Cat. fishes Brit, mus., 8, p. 646. 

 Zygobalis jussieui Agass., 1843, Rech. poiss. toss., 3, p. 328, Tab. D, fig. 8. 

 Rhinoptera jussieui Gunth., 1870, Cat. fishes Brit, mus., 8, p. 493; Ribeiro, 1907, Arch. Mus. nac, 



14, p. 193, pi. 20. 



Disk hardly twice as broad as long; tail little if any more than twice as long 

 as the body. Head moderately notched in front of the fontanel and between 

 the rostral fins. Pectorals about as wide as long, anterior margin nearly straight, 

 outer angle acute and apex narrowly rounded, hind margin slightly concave, 

 hind angle rounded. Ventrals narrower than long, obhquely subtruncate. 

 Dorsal rounded above, hind angle produced, origin above ends of bases of \<m- 

 trals, tip even with the tips of the latter. Teeth in nine rows (7-10) : — three 

 median of wide teeth, next outward in most cases about twice as wide as long 

 and in the outermost one two or three rows the width equals the length. The 

 variability in individuals of this species is excessive; the three wide rows and 

 the flatness of the pavement serve to distinguish even such as have less than nine 

 rows from those of R. lalandii. Skin smooth. 



Dark brown on back and tail; white beneath, httle darker below ends of 

 pectorals. 



Brazil, 



