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

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.