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2.5.1 Diagnostic Characters of Commercially Important
Body more or less disc-shaped, rounded or sub-angular, flattened, with the pectorals fused along the sides of the head. Eyes superior. Mouth inferior, more or less protractile. Gill slits 5, inferrior. Spiracles present. Dorsal fins, when present, placed on tail. No anal fin. Tail always redued, sometimes merely a filament. In many cases, the early embryos show shark-like affinities in not having the pectorals joined to the head, a fusion that occurs with development, occasional failures producing monstrosities. In this order are well-known flattened bottom-dwelling fishes, abundant and wide-spread, rather degenerate. The spiracles are of more importance to these than to any other cartilaginous fishes, being used in breathing. Water is drawn in at the gills and out via the spiracles, where the strong current may easily be felt by the hand. Many of these fishes are of importance as food. The group termed “batoid fishes” comprise a variety of forms commonly known as rays, skates, saw-fishes and guitar-fishes. 1. Pristidae (Saw-fishes)
Eg. Pristis pectinata
2. Rhinobatidae (Guitarfishes)
3. Torpedinidae (Electric rays)
Eg. Narcine timlei
4. Rajiidae (Skates)
Eg. Raja mamillidens
5. Mobulidae (Devil rays and Manta rays)
Eg. Mobula diabolus, Manta birostris
6. Myliobatidae (Eagle rays, Cownose rays)
7. Dasyatidae
Eg. Dasyatis zugei
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