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Species: Cruriraja poeyi, Cuban Leg Skate, Poey's Limbed Skate

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snout triangular, no filament
nape no thorns
disc top denticles: front edge + central strip
shoulders & rear disc + thorns
top disc spotted
fins black tips
tail thick, 2 Ds
space between Ds < 1/2 D1 base
front edges Ds & C black
pelvics: front lobe = leg
Under disc dark

Cruriraja poeyi Bigelow & Schroeder, 1948

Cuban Leg Skate, Poey's Limbed Skate

Disc diamond shaped, 1.3X wider than long; snout moderately long (before eye 11-12% TL) and pointed with a simple, sharp point, with a support cartilage; disc front edge slightly undulating, with short, shallow concavity near snout tip, then weakly concave between eyes and broadly rounded tips of pectoral fins, convex at rear; pectoral fin supports extend to half way along snout; pelvic fins large, deeply indented separation of leg-like front and rear lobes, side of rear lobe not joined to pectoral edge; tail broad at front, tapering to first dorsal fin, moderately long, length 57-58% TL; lateral tail folds well developed, almost entire length of tail; two dorsal fins, medium–sized, similar in size and shape with rounded tips, very close together (separated by a space ~1/2 base of 1st dorsal fin); tail fin with upper lobe only; upper surface with fine denticles only in a narrow band along central part of front edge of disc and centrally from shoulders to base of tail, upper surface with thorns (adult): on snout, a patch of ~7 between eyes and edge of disc, 7-8 around inner side and rear of eyes; nuchal thorns absent; thorns along mid-back only from center of disc (behind level of tips of pectorals) to 1st dorsal fin, those on tail in 1 central row with 1-2 irregular rows on each side, 2-3 paris between those fins; lower body surface without denticles; lower surface of tail of adults without denticles.

Upper surface pale brown, with ½ eye-sized round darker spots; lower surface dark brown; front edges of dorsal fins and tip of tail fin black.

Reaches 35 cm

Lives on soft bottoms

Depth range 345-870 m

Cuba, the Bahamas, east Florida.


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Salinity
  • Marine
  • Marine Only
Inshore/Offshore
  • Offshore
  • Offshore Only
Water Column Position
  • Bottom
  • Bottom only
Habitat
  • Sand & gravel
  • Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
  • Soft bottom only
  • Mud
FishBase Habitat
  • Bathydemersal
Feeding Group
  • Carnivore
  • Data
Diet
  • Data
  • Bony fishes
  • Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
  • Mobile benthic worms
  • Octopus/squid/cuttlefish
Egg Type
  • Benthic
  • Data
  • Live birth
  • No pelagic larva
Global Endemism
  • All species
  • Greater Caribbean endemic
  • West Atlantic Endemic
Regional Endemism
  • Continent
  • Continent + Island (s)
  • GC endemic
  • Island (s)
  • All species
Residency
  • Resident
Climate Zone
  • Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
  • Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
IUCN Red List
  • Data deficient
  • Listed
CITES
  • Not listed
Length Max
  • 35
Depth Range Min
  • 345
Depth Range Max
  • 870