Rajella purpuriventralis ( Bigelow and Schroeder, 1962 )

Jones, Christian M., Driggers Iii, William B., Hannan, Kristin M., Hoffmayer, Eric R., Jones, Lisa M. & Raredon, Sandra J., 2020, An annotated checklist of the chondrichthyan fishes inhabiting the northern Gulf of Mexico Part 1: Batoidea, Zootaxa 4803 (2), pp. 281-315 : 291

Rajella purpuriventralis ( Bigelow and Schroeder, 1962) —purplebelly skate

Synonyms:

Dipturus purpuriventralis ( Bigelow and Schroeder, 1962)

Malacoraja purpuriventralis ( Bigelow and Schroeder, 1962)

Raja purpuriventralis Bigelow and Schroeder, 1962

Distribution. Distributed widely throughout the northern GOM from Port St. Joe, Florida to the Texas/ Mexico border in waters from approximately 730 to 2,010 m in depth.

First Record in GOM. The description of this species ( Bigelow and Schroeder 1962) is based on a single specimen (USNM 196440, Figure 9 ) collected aboard the RV Oregon in 1959 from the north central GOM ( Bullis and Thompson 1965).

Remarks. The biology of this species is very poorly known due to its depth preference being outside of the range of most fisheries and research operations, with most specimens collected being juveniles. However, recent expeditions conducted by NOAA in the northern GOM utilizing a ROV to explore deepwater habitats have captured videos of this species, including several of adults, leading to a greater understanding of their ontogenetic changes and habitat preferences (C. Jones unpublished data).

Conservation Status. Least concern

Figures

FIGURE 9. Dorsal (A) and ventral (B) perspectives of the holotype of Rajella purpuriventralis (USNM 196440) collected from the northern Gulf of Mexico. Photographs by Sandra J. Raredon, USNM.