Rajella leoparda ( von Bonde & Swart, 1923 )

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 : 86

Rajella leoparda ( von Bonde & Swart, 1923)

Leopard Skate

Raia leopardus von Bonde & Swart, 1923: 7 , fig. 2, pl. 20. Syntypes: (several) BMNH 1935.7.14.2-3 (2). Type locality: KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, southwestern Indian Ocean .

Local synonymy: Raia leopardus : von Bonde & Swart, 1923: 7, fig. 2, pl. 20; Barnard, 1925: 74; Smith, 1949a: 67, fig. 73; Smith, 1965: 67, fig. 73. Raia quadrimaculata :? von Bonde & Swart, 1923: 5; Barnard, 1925: 70, fig. 5, pl. 4;? von Bonde, 1934: 16. Raia lintea : Barnard, 1925: 72 (in part?). Raia naevus : Barnard, 1925: 72 (in part?). Raja leopardus: Norman, 1935: 37 ; Fowler, 1941: 390; Hulley, 1970: 206, figs. 18a–c, pls. 12a–b; Hulley, 1972a: 86, figs. 58–59; Hulley, 1986: 122, fig. 25.13; Stehmann, 1995: 87.? Raja barnardi: Norman, 1935: 37 , fig. 14; Fowler, 1941: 371. Raja (Rajella) leopardus: Compagno et al., 1989: 98 , pl.; Compagno et al., 1991: 105; Ebert et al., 1991: 77. Rajella leopardus: Compagno, 1999: 117 ; Compagno & Ebert, 2007: 135, fig. 5c; Ebert & Compagno, 2007: 121; Ebert et al., 2008: 95; NPOA, 2013: 54; Ebert, 2014: 75, fig. 121; da Silva et al., 2015: 247; Ebert & van Hees, 2015: 147. Rajella leoparda: Ebert, 2015: 186 , fig. 214; Weigmann, et al., 2014a: 383; Last et al., 2016f: 19; Last et al., 2016g: 344, fig. 19.135; McEachran & Séret, 2016: 1402; Weigmann, 2016: 958.

South Africa voucher material: SAIAB 21919, SAIAB 21920, SAIAB 21921, SAIAB 21922, SAIAB 25739, SAIAB 25741, SAIAB 25765, SAIAB 25771, SAIAB 25803, SAIAB 25804, SAIAB 25805, SAIAB 25806, SAIAB 25807, SAIAB 25808, SAIAB 25809, SAIAB 25810, SAIAB 25811, SAIAB 25812, SAIAB 25813, SAIAB 25814, SAIAB 25815, SAIAB 25816, SAIAB 25817, SAIAB 25818, SAIAB 25819, SAIAB 25820, SAIAB 25821, SAIAB 25937, SAIAB 25938, SAIAB 25939, SAIAB 25940, SAIAB 25941, SAIAB 25942, SAIAB 25943, SAIAB 25944, SAIAB 25945, SAIAB 25946, SAIAB 25947, SAIAB 25948, SAIAB 25949, SAIAB 25950, SAIAB 25951, SAIAB 25952, SAIAB 25953, SAIAB 26241, SAIAB 26252, SAIAB 26291, SAIAB 26326, SAIAB 26327, SAIAB 26405, SAIAB 26918, SAIAB 27149, SAIAB 27150, SAIAB 27151, SAIAB 27570, SAIAB 27571, SAIAB 34845, SAIAB 40954, SAIAB 40955, SAIAB 40956, SAIAB 40961, SAIAB 40962, SAIAB 40963, SAIAB 40964, SAIAB 40965, SAIAB 40966, SAIAB 40967, SAIAB 40968, SAIAB 40969, SAIAB 40970, SAIAB 44241, SAIAB 53230, SAIAB 64274.

South African distribution: The Orange River (NC) to Algoa Bay (EC) .

Remarks: The most common deep-sea skate of the upper continental slopes along the west coast of South Africa from the Orange River to Cape Point.

Conservation status: LC (2018).