412 



Memoirs of the Indian Museum. 



[Vol. V, 



1878. Aetobatis narinari, Day, Fish. Ind., p. 743. 



1889. Aetobatis narinari, Day, Faun. Brit. Ind., Fish., I, p. 59. 



1909. Aetobatis guttata, Annandale, Mem. Ind. Mus., TT, pp. 55-56, text -fig. 10. 



1913. Aetobatis ocellatus, Garman, Mem. Mus. Comp. Zool. (Harvard), XXXVI, p. 442. 



1914. Aetobatis guttata, Gudger, Pub. Cam. Inst. (Washington), CLXXXIII, p. 313. 



Gudger, in his paper on the History of the Spotted Eagle Ray on page 313, has 

 shown that the specific name guttata was first employed by Bloch and Schneider in 

 1801. It would therefore have priority over "ocellata" of Russell (1803). In any 

 case, however, the latter is inadmissible as it is merely used by Russell in a descrip- 

 tive sense; the same term (ocellata) had been used by him exactly similarly for his 

 Raja No. I and Raja No. II, as well as for his No. viii, the present species also 

 referred to by him by the local name Eel tenkee. He refrained from giving specific 

 names to any of the species of rays he described or figured [see Russell, Fish. Vizag., 

 I, p. v. (Preface)]. Thus the specific name newly proposed by Garman lapses owing 

 to want of priority. 



There are three young male specimens in the collection. The snout in all these 

 specimens is comparatively short, conical, bluntly pointed and distinctly retroverted 

 and agrees with Dr. Annandale's figure of 1909 (op. cit., fig. 10 B, p. 55). The dorso- 

 ventral axis of the eye is inclined downwards and inwards and the pupil is visible 

 from below. The distance between the mouth and the vent is contained 2.\ times or 

 a little more in the breadth of the disk, and the length of the tail is more than twice 

 the breadth of the disk. The teeth are in a single series, those of the lower jaw 

 meeting at an obtuse angle and slightly projecting out of the mouth. The skin is 

 smooth with slight roughness; there are no denticles. The dorsal surface is of a 

 uniform dark slate-gray colour without any trace of spots. 



The measurements of the three specimens are given below. 





Barkul, d 

 (2-i-i5). 



Barkul, d 

 (3-i:i5)- 



Balugaon, d 

 (4-Î-I5). 





mm. 



mm. 



mm. 



Breadth of disk 



. 





398 



317 



496 



Mouth to vent 



. 





165 



114 



190 



Length of snout 



. 





43 



35 



51 



Rostral fin . . 



. 





43x40 



33^35 



46 x 46 



Diameter of eye 



. 





9 



8 



10 



Interorbital space 



. 





56 



45 



56 



Length of spiracle 



. 





17 



16 



J 7 



Ventral fin . . 



. 





67 x 28 



51x24 



72 x 28 



Tail 



. 





I0I2 



797 



1063 



