History of British animals - University of Guam Marine Laboratory

172 FISHES. CHONDROPT. Rata.dark brown ; beneath, dusky grey, with dark spots. Snout conical. Teethsharp, with a broad base.25. R. aspera. Shagreen Ray.— Skin rough. Ridge of thetail destitute of spines; those in the row on each side projectinooutwardsand recurved.Will. Ich. 78— Shagreen Ray, Penn. Brit. Zool. iii. 87 R. chagrinea,Mwit. Wern. Mem. ii. 420. "tab. xxi— E, White horse, Duncow, FrenchRay.— On the English coast.Length about 3 feet. Snout long, spinous. Colour, above, cinereousbrownwith black spots; beneath, white. The whole upper surface veryrough. Spines near the eyes. A short row of spines on the dorsal ridge,immediately behind the eyes.26. R. oculata. Mirror Ray.— Skin smooth above and below,except on the margin of the pectorals. Three rows ofspines on the tail, the mesial one reaching a short way up theback.R. lsevis oculata, Will. Ich. 72.— R. miraletus, Don. Brit. Fishes, tab.ciii.—On the English coast.Length about 10 inches. In form resembling the skate. Aculeated nearthe eyes. A large ocellated spot on the pectorals. Colour, above, brown,with distant large dark spots. Montagu included this species and R rubusunder the title R. maculata.****27- R. marginata. Bordered Ray.— Belly white, surroundedwith a black margin, except at the head.La Raie bordee, Lacepede, Hist. Poiss. v. GG3, t. xx. f. 2. Liverpool andBrighton, Noel.This species, of which a description was communicated by M. Noel to theichthyologist quoted, seems to be of a small size. The snout is pointed andtranslucent. Skin of the back yellow. Three rows of spines on the tail. Aspine behind each eye a ; single dorsal fin on the tail, and a caudal fin.28. R. Cuvieri. Cuvierian Ray.— The first dorsal fin on themiddle of the back.Lacepede^ Hist. Poiss. i. tab. vii. f. 1. Weill, Wern. Mem. i. 554.Snout pointed. Tail slender, armed with three rows of spines, the middleone reaching to the fin on the back. This fin is longer than broad, suboval,and contracted at the base. Teeth blunt. This species was first procured fromthe Seine by Baron Cuvier in 1792, who communicated a drawing and descriptionof it to Lacepede. It has once occurred on the Scottish coast in theFrith of Forth in 1808, according to Mr Neill, who examined a putrescentspecimen, which had been detected among a cargo of thornbacks, and who hassince presented to me the remarkable dorsal fin, the only portion which waspreserved.Gen. XVI. CHIMERA. Rabbit-Fish.—Snout conical.Two broad incisors in each jaw.29- C. monstrosa. — Colour silvery-white, marbled withbrown.-