Common Name
Richardson's Skate
Year Described
Garrick, 1961
Identification
Nuchal median thorns: none
Tail median thorns: 15-20
Body exceptionally deep and robust for a skate (head and back thick), with projecting pectoral fins appearing to be inserted posterior to spiracle. Disk diamond shaped. Skin quite rough with denticles both ventrally and dorsally. Eyes widely separated (about equal to snout length). Median thorn row restricted to tail. Tail median thorn row flanked with lateral finfolds. Snout long and wide, with slightly concave anterior margins. Mouth very large. Anterior margin of pectoral fins concave. Ocular and scapular thorns absent. No interdorsal thorns. Dorsal fins small and very close together. Pelvic fins weakly notched with a tiny anterior lobe. Tail shorter than disk. Claspers long and slender. Teeth are conical and sharp (21-39).
Color
An unmarked species with a pale gray to medium brown disk above and below. The ventrum can display patches of white, especially around the midline and tail.
Size
Maximum size to 175cm TL.
Habitat
A deepwater to abyssal skate living between 500-3100m.
Range
Northwestern Atlantic: Arctic Canada (Nova Scotia) to off the eastern U.S.A. Also the central and eastern Atlantic.
References
Last, P.R., White, W.T., Carvalho, M.R. de, Séret, B., Stehmann, M.F.W & Naylor, G.J.P (Eds.). 2016. Rays of the World. CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne.
Other Notes
The heavy body and odd proportions of this skate are unique in western Atlantic skates of any clade.