Species: Springeria longirostris, Longnose Leg Skate

Springeria longirostris Bigelow & Schroeder, 1962

Longnose Leg Skate

Disc heart–shaped, a little wider than long to a little longer than wide, with convex rear edges, with free rear tips ending behind pelvic-fin origin; disc front edges straight, tips of pectorals round; snout before eyes very long (24-30% of TL), tip pointed and ending in a fine filament, with a support cartilage; eye <15% of snout length; pelvic front lobes slender, leg–like, distinctly separate from rear lobes; tail base abruptly slender, tail is 43-55% TL, very slender, almost whip–like, longer to shorter than disc length; dorsal fins absent; lateral tail folds extend to near tip of tail; upper and lower caudal fins present, separated by tip of tail, upper well developed, higher and longer than lower; skin smooth, without denticles or thorns on either surface.

Upper surface purplish-grey; snout filament black; lower surface pale grey, snout tip black.

Reaches 78 cm

Soft bottoms

Depth range 520-1052 m

Gulf of Mexico, SE Florida and the Bahamas to the SW Caribbean.