Raja ocellifera Regan, 1906a

Twineyed Skate

Raja ocellifera Regan, 1906a: 2, Pl. 2. Syntypes: BMNH 1905.6.8.14 (1), NMP (1); probable syntype BMNH 1895.12 . 27.14 (1). Type locality: Algoa Bay, northeast of Bird Island, Eastern Cape, South Africa .

Local synonymy: Raia ocellifera: Regan, 1906a: 2, Pl. 2; Regan, 1908a: 242; Garman, 1913: 365 (South Africa, in part); Gilchrist & Thompson, 1916; 270; von Bonde & Swart, 1923: 5; Barnard, 1925: 67; Fowler, 1925b: 193; von Bonde, 1933: 51; Barnard, 1947: 26, fig. 2, pl. 4; Smith, 1949a: 66, pl. 3; Smith, 1964: 285; Smith, 1965: 66, pl. 3. Raja ocellifera: Thompson, 1914: 158; Norman, 1935: 42; Fowler, 1941: 375; Hulley, 1969: 137, figs. 1–3; Last & Séret, 2016: 477; Last et al., 2016f: 23; Last et al., 2016g: 326, fig. 19.117. Raja miraletus: Thompson, 1914: 158; Fowler, 1936: 114; Fowler, 1941: 375 (in part, including Raia parcomaculata in synonymy); Wallace, 1967a: 31, figs. 16–17; Hulley, 1969: 137, figs, 1–2c; Hulley, 1970: 179, fig. 9, pl. 7b; Hulley, 1972a: 86, figs. 58–59; Hulley, 1986: 123, fig. 25.14, pl. 6; Stehmann, 1995: 106; Compagno, 1999: 116; Heemstra & Heemstra, 2004: 81; Compagno & Ebert, 2007: 139, fig. 7a; Ebert & Compagno, 2007: 121; Ebert et al., 2008: 92; NPOA, 2013: 54; da Silva et al., 2015: 247; Ebert & van Hees, 2015: 147; Weigmann, 2016: 955. Raia miraletus: von Bonde & Swart, 1923: 5; Barnard, 1925: 68 (in part, not types of Cruriraja parcomaculata); Clark, 1926: 9 (Cape Colony, Mossel Bay). Raja (Raja) miraletus: Compagno et al., 1989: 96, pl.; Compagno et al., 1991: 102.

South Africa voucher material: Syntypes: BMNH 1905.6 .8.14 (1), NMP (1); Probable syntype: BMNH 1895.12 . 27.14 (1). Non-types: SAIAB 7842, SAIAB 8067, SAIAB 8270, SAIAB 11148, SAIAB 11149, SAIAB 11150, SAIAB 12007, SAIAB 12031, SAIAB 12194, SAIAB 13313, SAIAB 14621, SAIAB 16518, SAIAB 17227, SAIAB 17414, SAIAB 26903, SAIAB 26904, SAIAB 26905, SAIAB 26906, SAIAB 26907, SAIAB 27152, SAIAB 27153, SAIAB 27154, SAIAB 27155, SAIAB 27156, SAIAB 44240, SAIAB 44250 .

South African distribution: Possibly endemic to South Africa. Confirmed from Western Cape to Port Alfred (EC) and from Durban to Richards Bay (KZN). Records outside of South Africa require confirmation.

Remarks: Recent molecular and morphological data reveal that the South African form is distinct from other similar species in the Eastern Atlantic. The reported range from southern Namibia to KZN, and possibly extending to Kenya, requires confirmation as records from north of South Africa may represent different species.

Conservation status: EN (2020).