Species: Fenestraja plutonia, Underworld pygmy-skate, Underworld window-skate

Fenestraja plutonia (Garman, 1881)

Underworld window-skate, Underworld pygmy-skate

Heart-shaped disc with front margins distinctly undulating, outer and rear corners broadly convex, disc width 1.2X length; snout short (before eyes 7-8% TL); tip of snout bluntly pointed, flexible, not elongate; front pectoral fin rays extend nearly to tip of snout; eyes on top of head, large (~space between them), with spiracles immediately behind; nostrils a little in front of mouth, with front lobes from nostrils forming a curtain between them and mouth; no nasal pits before and above nasal curtain; pelvic fin with 2 distinct lobes joined by membrane, front lobe length =/> rear lobe;  tail 64-67% of TL, base narrow (<eye), narrow lateral folds on rear 2/5; 2 small dorsal fins near rear of tail, with tail fin as a fold behind the second dorsal, dorsals confluent at bases; upper surface ~uniformly covered with slender denticles, pelvics smooth;  thorns relatively large & conspicuous, up to 12 around inner edges of eyes; 2-4 thorns in a transverse row on each shoulder, a central row 45-70 from nape & along front ½ of tail, those grading into denticles on rear ½, 1 row on each side of  tail from rear of disc back along the tail, grading into 1-3 rows to 1st dorsal, then scattered denticles and small thorns to tail tip; no denticles on underside of disc and tail.

Upper surface pale yellowish-brown to dark greyish-brown; skin dark around denticles and rear bases of thorns; disc irregularly and strongly marked with dark spots & blotches, some individuals with small round white spots; tail with 5-7 dark cross-bars, the rear 2 black & crossing the dorsal fins, tail fin partly black; under surface yellowish-white, some times rear edges dark, and tail bars partly onto underside of tail.

Reaches 27 cm.

Habitat: soft bottoms.

Depth: 293-1024 m.

North Carolina to Guyana.