The asymptotic results deduced from the rigorous formal theory [L. B. Felsen and J. M. Ho, preceding abstract] are examined here within the framework of ray acoustics. It is shown how the saddle points in the two‐dimensional complex spectral domain systematically furnish the azimuthal and meridional invariants that appear less directly in previously constructed ray acoustic forms, and how this parametrization also applies to shell‐guided nonresonant and resonant interactions. These ray interpretations take place most generally in thenonperiodicinfinite azimuthal and meridional domains so as to describetravelingwaves that can subsequently synthesize effects due to truncations or other perturbations on the shell. The relation between ray fields in the infinite nonphysical and the physical domains is explored, especially for ray congruences that synthesize resonances on the shell by self‐consistent closure. By its very nature, the presentation here emphasizes the intimate connection between ray fields and spectra (wavenumbers), and thereby may furnish some guidelines for spectral processing techniques. [Work supported by ONR and DTRC.]