Raja straeleni Poll, 1951

Ebert, David A., Wintner, Sabine P. & Kyne, Peter M., 2021, An annotated checklist of the chondrichthyans of South Africa, Zootaxa 4947 (1), pp. 1-127 : 84

Raja straeleni Poll, 1951

Biscuit Skate

Raja straeleni Poll, 1951: 118 , fig. 54, pls. 8 (fig. 3). Syntypes: IRSNB 99 (1), 100-107 (1, 1, 2, 1, 3, 1, 2, 9); MRAC 80327-32 (6) . Type locality: Off Angola, 13°05'S, 12°46'E .

Local synonymy: Raja clavata : Gilchrist, 1922a: 7; Fowler, 1936: 110; Fowler, 1941: 360; Hulley, 1966: 508, fig. 8; Wallace, 1967a: 35, figs. 4, 18–19; Hulley, 1970: 183, fig. 10, pl. 6a; Hulley, 1972a: 86, figs. 58–59; Hulley, 1986: 120, fig. 25.7, pl. 6. Raia clavata : Barnard, 1925: 64, fig. 2, pl. 4 (in part?); von Bonde, 1934: 16; Barnard, 1959: 26, fig. 1, pl. 4. Raja bonae-speiensis: Fowler, 1910: 468 (replacement name for Raja capensis M̹ller & Henle, 1841 ). Raja capensis : M̹ller & Henle, 1841: 151; Gray, 1851: 112; Bleeker, 1860b: 58; Duméril, 1865: 540, figs. 11–12, pl. 12; G̹nther, 1870: 455; Gilchrist, 1902: 168; Thompson, 1914: 157; Gilchrist, 1921: 34. Raia capensis : von Bonde & Swart, 1923: 4. Raia maculata :? Barnard, 1925: 71;? von Bonde, 1933: 32. Raja maculata :? Bleeker, 1860: 58 b;? Gilchrist, 1902: 168;? Thompson, 1914: 157. Raia oculata :? von Bonde & Swart, 1923: 4. Raia ocellifera : Garman, 1913: 365 ( South Africa, in part, R. capensis and R. rhizacanthus in synonymy). Raia quadrimaculata :? von Bonde & Swart, 1923: 5;? von Bonde, 1934: 16. Raia rhizacanthus : Regan, 1906a: 3, pl. 3; Regan, 1908a: 242; Gilchrist & Thompson, 1916: 288; von Bonde & Swart, 1923: 5; Smith, 1949a: 66; Smith, 1965: 66. Raja rhizacanthus: Thompson, 1914: 158 ; Norman, 1935: 40; Smith & Smith, 1966: 29, fig.; Hulley, 1966: 499 (= Raja clavata ).? Raia smithi : Smith, 1949a: 66, pl. 3 (in part?); Smith, 1965: 66, pl. (in part?). Raja straeleni: Hulley, 1970: 187 , fig. 11, pl. 6b; Stehmann, 1971: 187, figs. 8–13; Hulley, 1972a: 86, figs. 58–59; Hulley, 1986: 126, fig. 25.22; Compagno et al., 1989: 94, pl.; Stehmann, 1995: 49; Compagno, 1999: 117; Heemstra & Heemstra, 2004: 80; Compagno & Ebert, 2007: 141, fig. 7c; Ebert & Compagno, 2007: 121; Ebert et al., 2008: 93; NPOA, 2013: 56; da Silva et al., 2015: 247; Ebert & van Hees, 2015: 147; Last & Séret, 2016: 477; Last et al., 2016f: 23; Last et al., 2016g: 331, fig. 19.122; McEachran & Séret, 2016: 1393; Weigmann, 2016: 955. Raja (Raja) cf. clavata: Compagno et al., 1991: 98 ; Ebert et al., 1991: 75.

South Africa voucher material: SAIAB 11928, SAIAB 11954, SAIAB 21888, SAIAB 21889, SAIAB 21890, SAIAB 21891, SAIAB 21892, SAIAB 21893, SAIAB 21894, SAIAB 21895, SAIAB 25738, SAIAB 25822, SAIAB 25823, SAIAB 25824, SAIAB 25826, SAIAB 25827, SAIAB 25828, SAIAB 25829, SAIAB 25830, SAIAB 25831, SAIAB 25832, SAIAB 25833, SAIAB 25834, SAIAB 25835, SAIAB 25836, SAIAB 25837, SAIAB 25838, SAIAB 25839, SAIAB 25840, SAIAB 25841, SAIAB 25842, SAIAB 25843, SAIAB 25844, SAIAB 25845, SAIAB 25846, SAIAB 25847, SAIAB 25848, SAIAB 25849, SAIAB 25850, SAIAB 25851, SAIAB 25852, SAIAB 25853, SAIAB 25854, SAIAB 25855, SAIAB 25856, SAIAB 25857, SAIAB 25858, SAIAB 25859, SAIAB 25860, SAIAB 25972, SAIAB 25973, SAIAB 25974, SAIAB 25975, SAIAB 25976, SAIAB 25977, SAIAB 25978, SAIAB 25987, SAIAB 26243, SAIAB 26244, SAIAB 26245, SAIAB 26246, SAIAB 26247, SAIAB 26292, SAIAB 26406, SAIAB 26407, SAIAB 26408, SAIAB 26409, SAIAB 26410, SAIAB 26411, SAIAB 26412, SAIAB 26413, SAIAB 26414, SAIAB 26415, SAIAB 26464, SAIAB 26465, SAIAB 26908, SAIAB 26909, SAIAB 26910, SAIAB 26911, SAIAB 26916, SAIAB 26917, SAIAB 26963, SAIAB 44298, SAIAB 48512, SAIAB 48518.

South African distribution: The Orange River (NC) to Algoa Bay (EC), possibly to southern KZN, but requires confirmation .

Remarks: The most abundant and common skate species in South Africa. It has been referred to other species including R. clavata . The dorsal color pattern is quite variable, ranging from strikingly ornate pattern to rather plain brown. Whether these variable patterns represent discrete subpopulations is uncertain.

Conservation status: DD (2009).

Genus Rajella Stehmann, 1970

Gray Skates

Rajella (subgenus of Raja ) Stehmann, 1970: 151. Type species: Raja fyllae L̹tken 1887, type by original designation.