Species: Cruriraja poeyi, Cuban Leg Skate, Poey's Limbed Skate
nape no thorns
disc top denticles: front edge + central strip
top disc spotted
fins black tips
space between Ds < 1/2 D1 base
front edges Ds & C black

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.

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