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cave longitudinally; dorsal outline, from occiput to caudal peduncle, regularly arched, the highest point at anterior part of first dorsal; mandible straight; abdominal outline regularly curved.

Greatest depth 3 times, depth of caudal peduncle 12, length of head 3%, length of pectoral 4 in total length to extremity of caudal fin; orbit (longitudinal diameter) 5, mandible 2, interorbital width about 2 in length of head.

Gape straight, maxillary extending to a little in front of the center of the pupil, its upper edge received in a groove below the preorbital for most of its length.

Teeth of mandibles and intermaxillaries slender, sharp, recurved; in several rows in front, gradually diminishing laterally to a single row; front teeth slightly longer than lateral teeth. A few similar but smaller teeth on vomer and palatines. Upper pharyngeals with a cushion of similar teeth; lower pharyngeals slender, with a patch of similar teeth in the form of a very obtuse triangle, the internal row largest.

Gill rakers short, ciliated, those on the anterior aspect of the first pair of gill-arches longer than the others.

Branchiostegals seven; gill-membranes continuous below, but attached to an isthmus throughout the entire length of their junction except the posterior margin.

Nostrils just above a line joining the upper margin of the orbit with the tip of the snout, simple, elliptical, the posterior far the larger.

Eyes lateral, subelliptical, the upper margin of the orbit less curved than the lower; interorbital space wide, slightly convex transversely. Longitudinal diameter of orbit 14 in length of snout. Opercular bones without spines or denticulations.

Pectoral base vertical; pectoral broadly lanceolate, the upper margin curved; 5th ray longest; 4th, 6th, 7th, and 8th only slightly shorter, thence diminishing rapidly downwards. Tip of pectoral about vertical with base of 11th ray of spinous dorsal, but considerably short of the vent. Rays twice branched.

Ventrals inserted a little behind pectorals, their length 13 in that of the pectorals. Rays twice bifurcate.

Spinous dorsal commencing about opposite 20th scale of lateral line; first spine very short; 2d and 3d rapidly increasing; 4th longest; thence diminishing regularly to 12th; 13th and 14th directed backwards, horizontal, their points only free; 15th spine at base of 1st soft ray.

Third ray of soft dorsal longest, thence diminishing regularly; rays split up at tips.

Anal commencing about opposite base of 7th ray of 2d dorsal, and preceded by two weak spines hidden in membrane. First soft ray longest; rays split at tips.

Caudal with many accessory rays and about sixteen principal rays, so that its lateral margins are convex; posterior border somewhat emarginate; rays much divided at tips.

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Lateral line continuous to end of caudal peduncle, not very conspicuous; tubes simple. From its origin to above the pectoral it curves downwards, thence follows parallel to the dorsal outline till it reaches the caudal peduncle, along which it is median.

Scales of body small, strongly ctenoid, larger upon hinder part of trunk and on caudal peduncle than anteriorly, and smallest on head and under pectoral base. Scales elongate, almost rectangular, but with the free margin convex, imbedded portion striated. Entire surface of gillcovers, branchiostegal rays, mandibles, maxillaries, preorbitals, and snout scaly, the only scaleless portions being the lips and the portions of the gill-membrane folded up between the rays. A shallow, scaleless groove at sides of 1st dorsal.

The vertical fins, except the spinous dorsal, covered almost to the tips of the rays with similar but smaller scales, and the paired fins similarly covered on their exterior surfaces.

A band of small scales along some of the anterior spines of the 1st dorsal.

Dorsal region and head, to the level of the upper margin of maxillary and of pectoral fin, black; four broad transverse black stripes between pectorals and caudals.

The spaces between these bands, the abdomen, and the lower part of the head white.

The 1st band is at about the center of the length of the pectoral, and fades out level with the lower margin of that fin; the 2d is anterior to the vent, and almost encircles the body; the 3d continues to the anal base, but is much lighter on its lower portion; while the 4th encircles the caudal peduncle.

A 5th but narrower black band encircles the caudal base, and two black bands cross the caudal, the posterior one broadest; rest of caudal white. All the other fins banded or blotched irregularly with black and white, the former predominating. The ctenoid tips of the scales are white. I have only seen a single specimen of this fish. Before the description was written it was exposed to alcohol for about two months.

It was obtained in San Francisco market August, 1879, and was taken in Monterey Bay.

In appearance it somewhat resembles some of the small-scaled Serranidæ or Rhypticida. The presence of a suborbital stay, however, shows that its affinities are really with the Chirida.

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Tip of lower jaw to insertion of ventrals, along abdominal profile......

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Fin formula.-B. 7; D. XII +11,; A.; P. 18; V. ; C. lat. line circa 128-134.

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DESCRIPTION OF A NEW SPECIES OF RAY, RAIA RHINA, FROM THE COAST OF CALIFORNIA.

By DAVID S. JORDAN and CHARLES H. GILBERT.

Raia rhina, sp. nov.

Disk rather broader than long, the snout very sharp and long-acuminate. Outer angle of pectoral sharp; posterior edge of pectoral nearly straight. Region from pectoral angle to snout slightly convex, then almost uniformly and strongly concave to near the tip of the snout, which tapers to a sharp point. A straight line from the snout to the tip of the pectoral passes far from the edge of the disk. Length of snout nearly four times the interorbital width.

Interorbital space quite narrow, very little concave, somewhat depressed in the middle. Nasal ridges separated for more than half their length. Supraocular ridges slightly elevated. Eyes larger and much longer than spiracles. Ventral fins deeply emarginate. Caudal fin reduced to a small fold. Dorsal fins moderate, rather close together, the interspace less than the base of the fin.

Female with the spines on the body moderately strong, arranged as follows:

Five or six rather strong spines above the eyes. Two in front of the center of the back. None along the middle line of the back until opposite the posterior end of the ventrals, where a median series begins on the tail. A lateral caudal series on each side, and two or three long sharp spines between the dorsal fins.

Roughnesses on the skin åbove rather large, sharp-pointed, and evidently stellate. Those on the snout especially conspicuously stellate and larger than the others. These prickles are everywhere present on the

upper parts of the body, but they are not evenly distributed, and in most regions they are placed quite wide apart. They are largest and most numerous on the nasal ridges, interorbital space, middle region of back and tail, and anterior part of pectorals. On the base and edges of the pectorals and on the ventrals the prickles are few and small. On the middle portion of the pectorals they are rather numerous. Underside of disk everywhere prickly except along the edges of the fins; the prickles largest under the snout.

Male not seen, probably differing, as in the other species, in the sparser prickles above, in the absence of a lateral caudal series, and in the presence of stouter prickles on the anterior part of the pectorals and of clawlike spines on the posterior part. Mouth somewhat arched. Teeth about 48. Nasal flap rather less than half the width of the mouth.

Coloration essentially as in Raia binoculata. Light brown above, vaguely mottled with paler; the usual dark ring at the base of the pectorals most distinct in fresh examples, and probably in the young.

This species is known to us from three examples. Adult females, 26 to 29 inches in length. One from Monterey Bay and two from San Francisco Bay. The one from Monterey was referred to in our description of Raia stellulata as a long-nosed form or variety of Raia binoculata.

Raia rhina, is related to Raia cooperi and Raia binoculata. From the latter it differs in the much sharper and longer snout, in the less concave interorbital space, and in the much greater roughness of the body, the small prickles, even in the female of R. binoculata, being confined to the snout, interocular space, and a portion of the median region of the back and the tail, the fins being perfectly smooth. The male has the usual patches on the pectoral fins, and the back almost or quite smooth.

From Raia cooperi, Raia rhina differs in the much smaller size in length, the adult of Raia cooperi reaching at least a length of more than six feet. It also differs in form, color, interorbital width, armature, &c., as will appear from the following description of a young male example of Raia cooperi, 271⁄2 inches in length, from San Francisco.

Disk broad, its widest part much behind the middle, the pectoral angle rather sharp, and the posterior edge very little convex. The anterior margin of the pectoral is at first slightly convex, then concave, then, opposite the eyes, again very slightly convex, then again slightly concave; the snout itself not very sharp, although long."

Interorbital space very broad and almost flat (deeply concave in R. binoculata), only slightly depressed in the middle, the nasal ridges well separated for usually two-thirds their length. Supraocular ridge not at all elevated. Eyes quite small, shorter than the spiracles.

Ventral fins not deeply emarginate (becoming more deeply emarginate in the adult). Caspers, in this example (which, although larger than the adults of the other species, is evidently immature), very small, scarcely exserted beyond the ventral edge. Claw-like pectoral spines not yet developed. Caudal fin wanting. Dorsal fins moderate, not far

apart, the interspace less than the length of the base. Tail with a slight lateral fold.

Spines on body small and few. Two or three very small ones over the eye, one at the center of the back, with a minute one in front of it. None along the median line of the back, the median caudal series beginging at the base of the ventrals. These spines are quite small, but grow larger backward.

Asperities above in the form of minute prickles, somewhat stellate. These are very minute, except along the median line of the back and tail, and there they are smaller than in R. stellulata or R. rhina. Tail entirely prickly above. A broad band of prickles along back to interorbital space. Entire pectoral fin minutely prickly, rather coarsely so anteriorly. Nasal ridges prickly.

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Ventrals mostly covered with minute prickles, as is the under side of the snout and the region around the mouth. A row of rather coarser prickles along the edge of the disk anteriorly, on the under side. Jaws rather strongly curved. Teeth somewhat tricuspid, 18. Length of nasal flap about half the width of the upper jaw. Body light brown, with many rather large, faint, round whitish spots, which are very distinct in the young. A vague blackish ring at base of pectoral.

Raia cooperi is rather common from Monterey Bay to Vancouver's Island, and probably north to Alaska. It is often brought into the markets of San Francisco with the binoculata. We have seen examples of all sizes from six inches to six feet in length. A skin of an individual six feet in length was obtained by us at Victoria. In its stomach were two specimens of Cottus polyacanthocephalus, each a foot long. Thus far no examples of any of the other species over 2 feet in length noticed.

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