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Species: Dipturus teevani, Caribbean skate, Prickly brown ray

All Families:   All Genera:   All Species:

disc center no thorns
Ds & C black
top uniform; bottom cream/dusky
pores under snout dark
tail 1 row thorns

Dipturus teevani (Bigelow & Schroeder, 1951)

Caribbean skate,   Prickly brown ray

Disc rhomboidal, with sinuous front margins, ~1.25X wider than long, rear edges gently convex; snout moderately elongate (length before eye 22% of TL), sharply pointed, its tip firm, with a stout cartilage; pectoral fin rays separate from snout; eyes on top of head, with spiracles immediately behind; nostrils a little in front of mouth, with front lobes from nostrils forming a curtain between them and mouth; pelvic fin with 2 distinct lobes connected by membrane; 2 small dorsal fins at rear of tail, similar in size & shape, rounded tips, joined at bases; tail narrow, 48-53% TL, with a pair of lateral skin folds low down, along entire length; tail fin as a long, low upper fold behind the second dorsal; top of disc free of denticles, except minute denticles between eyes and all over disc before the eyes; ventral side with denticles under snout, and along front edge of disc;  upper surface with 1-2 thorns before eye & 1 after, no thorns along center of disc; tail with   central row of 15 back-pointing thorns to 1st dorsal fin, 0-2 thorns between dorsal fins.

Upper surface pale  brown, dorsal and tail fins black; lower surface creamy to dusky, tail blackish; mucous pores on underside of snout & before mouth dark.

Reaches 84 cm

Depth range 240-940 m

Lives on soft bottoms

The Gulf of Mexico to Brazil.


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Salinity
  • Marine
  • Marine Only
Inshore/Offshore
  • Offshore Only
  • Offshore
Water Column Position
  • Bottom
  • Bottom only
Habitat
  • Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
FishBase Habitat
  • Bathydemersal
Feeding Group
  • Carnivore
  • Data
Diet
  • Bony fishes
  • Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
  • Mobile benthic gastropods/bivalves
  • Data
Egg Type
  • No pelagic phase
  • Data
  • Benthic
  • No pelagic larva
Global Endemism
  • Greater Caribbean non-endemic
  • West Atlantic Endemic
  • All species.
Regional Endemism
  • Continent + Island (s)
  • All species..
  • Island (s)
  • Extends South of GC
  • GC non-endemic
  • Also in Brazil
  • Continent
Residency
  • Resident
Climate Zone
  • Temperate (>35N)
  • Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
  • Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
  • Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
IUCN Red List
  • Listed
  • Data deficient
CITES
  • Not listed
Length Max
  • 84
Depth Range Min
  • 240
Depth Range Max
  • 940