Fenestraja plutonia
No common name
Collection Details
Specimens
Photos
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Chondrichthyes (Cartilaginous Fishes)
Rajiformes (Skates)
Rajidae (Skates)
Fenestraja
Fenestraja plutonia
Description
This species account was compiled from
Composite (multiple sources) (McEachran, J.D. and J.D. Fechhelm. Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico. University of Texas Press, Austin.)
and processed using AI-assisted text extraction.
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Characters
Heart-shaped disc, short obtuse snout, moderately slender tail with two dorsal fins and a poorly developed caudal fin; pre-orbital length 7% to 8% of TL; maximum snout angle 130° to 135°; pectoral fin radials extend nearly to tip of snout; 32 to 34 tooth rows in upper jaw; oronasal pit absent; anterior pelvic lobe connected to posterior lobe by fin membrane and equal in length or longer; lateral margin of pelvic fin deeply incised; tail 64% to 67% of TL with lateral folds extending along posterior one-half; dorsal fins similar in size and shape, confluent at bases; caudal fin poorly developed, consisting of dorsal lobe; dorsal surface of disc and tail covered with slender dermal denticles; small to moderate-sized thorns on orbital rim, between spiracles, over nuchal and scapular region, and along midline from scapular region to origin of first dorsal fin; midrow thorns on tail flanked by two lateral rows of small thorns
Pale yellowish brown to grayish brown or purplish brown dorsally and yellowish white ventrally; dorsal surface marked with dark spots and blotches; tail with several irregular bands
Distribution
Western North Atlantic from North Carolina to the Dry Tortugas in the Florida Keys, and in the northern Gulf of Mexico
Northern Gulf of Mexico
Habitat Associations
Depth range: 293 to 1,024 m
Biology
Maximum known size: 270 mm TL
Deep water species (Ref. 6902). Oviparous (Ref. 50449). Eggs have horn-like projections on the shell (Ref. 205).
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: internal (oviduct); nonguarders (open water/substratum egg scatterers); parental care: none. Oviparous, paired eggs are laid. Embryos feed solely on yolk (Ref. 50449).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2019-06-23. Resilience: Low (Fec assumed to be <100).
Phylogeny and Morphologically Similar Fishes
Distinguished from other species of the family by the combination of characters described
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: bycatch.
References
Bigelow and Schroeder 1953a
Bigelow and Schroeder 1962
Bigelow and Schroeder 1968b
McEachran and Compagno 1982
McEachran 1984
Breder, C.M. and D.E. Rosen (1966) Modes of reproduction in fishes. T.F.H. Publications, Neptune City, New Jersey. 941 p.
Bigelow, H.B. and W.C. Schroeder (1953) Sawfishes, guitarfishes, skates and rays. p. 1-514. In J. Tee-Van et al. (eds.) Fishes of the western North Atlantic. Part two. New Haven, Sears Found. Mar. Res., Yale Univ.
McEachran, J.D. and K.A. Dunn (1998) Phylogenetic analysis of skates, a morphologically conservative clade of elasmobranchs (Chondrichthyes: Rajidae). Copeia 1998(2):271-290.
Castro-Aguirre, J.L. and H. Espinosa Perez (1996) Listados faunísticos de México. VII. Catálogo sistemático de las rayas y especies afines de México. (Chondrichthyes: Elasmobranchii: Rajiformes: Batoideiomorpha). Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Mexico. 75 p.
Comments On Fenestraja plutonia