OCR Text |
Show 1867-] THE FISHES O F S E Y C H E L L E S . 871 both jaws smooth at the point, denticulated at the base; the others strongly denticulated along the entire edge. First dorsal much nearer the pectorals than the ventrals; the base of the second once and a half as long as that of the anal. Lower caudal lobe short, hardly a third of the length of the upper one. Colour yellowish grey, darker superiorly, marked with spots and vertical bands of a darker colour on the back, sides, and tail; on the last they are rounded.-A. Dum. Creole name " Damoiselle." Hab. Seychelles; Indian Ocean. 207. RHYNCHOBATUS LiEVlS. Raia djeddensis, Forsk. p. 18. no. 17. Rhinobatus Icevis, Bl. Schn. p. 354, pl. 71 ; Russell, pl. 10. R. djeddensis, Riipp. Atlas, Fische, p. 54, t. 14. f. 1. Rhynchobatus Icevis, Miill. & Henle, Plag. p. Ill ; Dum. Hist. Poiss. i. p. 433. Snout long, pointed. Nostril very oblique, the interior angle almost reaching the anterior margin of mouth; their length is one-fourth more than the space between them, and three times that between their external angle and the edge of the disk. The pectorals have their exterior angles almost right ones. The superior lobe of the caudal is a third longer than the inferior one. The colour varies with age. Young examples have a yellowish-olive ground and a small brown spot on each side of the end of the snout; a band of the same colour on the edge of the eyelid ; a large brown spot surrounded with small ones on the root of each pectoral; white spots on the rest of the body, those on the flanks being sometimes disposed in bands. In mature specimens these markings disappear, and the fish assumes a uniform brown colour.-A. Dum. Creole name "Violon." Hab. Seychelles ; Red Sea ; Indian Ocean. 208. UROGYMNUS ASPERRIMUS. Raja asperrima, Bl. Schn. p. 367- no. 24. Urogymnus asperrimus, Miill. & Henle, Wiegm. Arch. 1837, p. 400, 434 ; Dum. Hist. Poiss. i. p. 580. Anacanthus asperrimus, Miill. & Henle, Plag. p. 157, pl. 60. Disk ovate, rhomboidal, almost as broad as long, the exterior and posterior angles rounded. Snout slightly prominent; its length in front of eyes is equal to the interorbital space. Tail hardly longer than the disk, having a groove on its lower side containing a cutaneous fold. The middle of the upper surface from the interorbital space to the tail, and for more than one-third of its breadth, covered with a mosaic of tubercles closely set together, between which rise here and there spines with stellated bases, the branches of which, frequently divided, surround several of the adjacent tubercles. On the remainder of the disk there are scattered pointed tubercles, often as |