Raja polystigma
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Raja polystigma | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Speckled ray (Raja polystigma) (on the left) at the Natural History Museum in London, England. | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Chondrichthyes |
| Subclass: | Elasmobranchii |
| Order: | Rajiformes |
| Family: | Rajidae |
| Genus: | Raja |
| Species: | R. polystigma |
| Binomial name | |
| Raja polystigma Regan, 1923 | |
Raja polystigma, also known as the speckled skate, is a species of hardnose skate.[1]
The speckled skate has a short and blunt snout with a slightly pronounced tip. Its dorsal surface has a greyish to greenish-brown colouration with many dark and pale spots, and it is mostly smooth in texture. The ventral surface is whitish with darker disc margins, and is smooth apart from the snout and anterior edge of the disc, which have prickles. It has a median row with about 22-28 thorns up to the first dorsal fin, and one interdorsal thorn. Adult males have both alar and malar thorns. The upper and lower jaws have between 50-60 rows. The maximum total length of a speckled skate has been measured as 71 centimetres (28 in).[2]
