Rajella bigelowi

Family	Scientific Name	Author	Year	Common Name
Rajidae	Rajella bigelowi	(Stehmann)	1978	Abyssal Skate

Unique Characteristics: Snout short and bluntly angled, anterior disc margins slightly concave or undulated. A theoretical line from snout tip to pectoral wing tip touching or cutting front margin of disc; internasal width usually more than 70% of the distance from one nostril to snout tip. Disc subcircular with outer corners broadly rounded. Thorns always present on disc, at least on head. Tail length equal to, but usually somewhat longer than body.

Upper side of disc and tail totally or partly covered with coarse, less densely set dermal denticles; underside of tail usually smooth. Median row thorns on tail may show somewhat reduced size rearward, but are always set continuously to origin of first dorsal fin. Except in small juveniles, thorns on orbital rims set as continuous half-rings, and many thorns over nape and shoulder regions forming a triangle; median thorn row on trunk and tail either reduced or totally disappearing with growth, when parallel rows of large thorns become dominant, or median thorns persisting and flanked at least on tail by large parallel row thorns. Median row thorns on back of trunk and along tail persisting, but two or more parallel rows may become dominant with growth.

Similar Species: None

Reference:

(FAO 2013) Ebert, D.A. and M.F.W. Stehmann. 2013. Sharks, batoids, and chimaeras of the North Atlantic. FAO Species Catalogue for Fishery Purposes. No. 7. Rome, FAO. 523 pp.