Common Name
Blackfin Pygmy Skate
Year Described
Bigelow & Schroeder, 1950
Identification
Disk heart shaped with a almost straight anterior margin of snout and pectoral fin. Snout with short projecting lobe. Pectoral fins with round tips. Anterior pelvic fin lobe elongate; separated from posterior lobe by strong notch. Posterior lobe rectangular and much longer than anterior. Tail is long and thin. Posterior part of tail with skin folds. There are two small dorsal fins placed far back on tail with fins separated by over 1.5 times dorsal width. Caudal fin with developed upper lobe. Eyes and mouth large. Jaws with around 40 tooth rows. Male claspers long.
Body is covered with dermal denticles dorsally except for snout tip and posterior disk edge. Ventrum smooth. The rostrum has no thorns. There are 7-15 orbital thorns, 2-3 spiracular thorns, and around 6 nuchal thorns on the head. There are 2-5 scapular thorns. Abdomen and tail with a median row of around 60 thorns. Lateral thorns present on tail.
Color
Very plain colored: pale brown to pinkish-brown above and whitish below. Dorsal and caudal fins darker brown.
Size
A very small skate: maximum size to 29cm TL.
Habitat
Known from continental shelves and slopes from 365-950m.
Range
Known from off North Carolina to Florida, Cuba, and the Bahamas.
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
This species is distinguished from other Fenestraja by its widely spaced dorsal fins and very plain coloration.