Species: Gurgesiella atlantica, Atlantic Skate, Atlantic Abyssal Skate
snout short, blunt, tip firm
under disc with denticles

Gurgesiella atlantica (Bigelow & Schroeder, 1962)
Atlantic Skate, Atlantic Abyssal Skate
Disc much wider (~1.7X) than long, slightly convex from tip of snout to level of spiracles then concave to outer angular corners, rear margins gently rounded; snout short, broadly rounded, with a small pointed, soft and flexible tip, supported by a narrow snout cartilage that is firm along rear 60% and flexible at front; nostrils greatly enlarged; nasal curtain with few or no fringes; teeth with low cusps in females and young males, sharp cusps in mature males; pelvic fins not divided into two parts by a notch, with laterally directed pointed lobes & roughly straight rear margins; tail slender, very elongate, almost 2X disc length to cloaca; dorsal fin usually absent, if present is ~20% of TL in advance of tip of tail, well before tail fin; tail fin with separate, unjoined upper and lower lobes, lower lobe shorter and lower; tail with lateral skin folds from a little behind pelvic tips to a little beyond origin of upper tail fin; upper surface of disc covered with very small denticles with star-shaped bases, more dense between and before eyes that at rear, present on pelvics and tail fin; thorns: several irregular rows of very small, blunt thorns in a narrow central band from nape to base of tail; tail with 2-3 interrupted rows of larger sharp, hooked thorns at front, grading to 1-2 rows at rear: lower surface with denticles on front half of disc and along bottom of tail; male sex organ very long and slender.
Upper surface pale brown, sometimes with obscure dark blotches, tail fin black; lower surface pale brown to pinkish, with 6-10 dark brown blotches or bars on underside of tail.
Reaches 49 cm
Lives on soft bottoms.
Depth range 223-1575 m.
The Gulf of Mexico to the Amazon.

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
- Egg Type
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- Benthic
- Data
- No pelagic larva
- No pelagic phase
- Global Endemism
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- All species
- Greater Caribbean endemic
- West Atlantic Endemic
- Regional Endemism
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- Caribbean endemic
- Continent
- Continent only
- Extends South of GC
- GC endemic
- All species
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
- 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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- 49
- Depth Range Min
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- 223
- Depth Range Max
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- 1575