Common names
Challenger skate

Short Description
Original diagnosis after LAST & STEHMANN, 2008 [3314]: A medium-sized species of Rajella (to 56 cm TL) with the following combination of characters: disc narrow, heart-shaped to subcircular with rounded apices, width 52–56% TL, about 1.1 times its length; snout angle 89–99°; tail elongate, tapering strongly, length 1.1–1.3 times distance from snout tip to rear of cloaca; tail not broad, width 1.3–1.9 times height at its midlength, 1.5–1.8 times at first dorsal-fin origin; preupper jaw length 12–14% TL, 1.8–2.1 times internasal width; ventral head length 24–25% TL; snout length 2.9–3.3 times interorbital width; orbit diameter 77–94% interorbital width; first dorsal fin usually connected to second dorsal fin, its height 1.3–2.1 in its base length; distance from first dorsal-fin origin to tail tip 2.2–2.7 times first dorsal-fin base length, 1.4–3.0 times caudalfin length; pelvic fins of medium size, length of posterior lobe of adult males 18–19% TL, length of anterior lobe 63–69% of posterior lobe; adult clasper relatively short, 21–22% TL, connected to pelvic-fin inner margin at about 35–44% of its length from cloaca; anterior margins of dorsal surface very spiny; nucho-scapular thorn patch present, 3 thorns in transverse row near scapulocoracoid (one on midline, one on each shoulder); malar thorn patch extensive; tail with 5–7 irregular thorn rows; total pectoral radials 57–61; trunk centra 23–28; predorsal centra 90–98; total centra about 120–130; tooth rows in upper jaw 26–36; mainly almost uniform pale dorsally (anterior pelvic-fin lobe black), much darker brownish black or black ventrally; ventral sensory pores indistinct.

Distribution
Eastern Indian Ocean: Australia. Source: www.gbif.org

Size / Weight / Age
56.1 cm TL (male/unsexed; [3314])

Habitat
benthopelagic; marine; depth range 942 - 1370 m [3314]

Remarks
shark-references Species-ID=5859;