Species: Neoraja carolinensis, Carolina pygmy-skate, Carolina Novel Skate, Carolina's novelskate

snout short, round, tip flexible, pectorals almost to tip

Neoraja carolinensis McEachran & Stehmann, 1984
Carolina pigmy-skate, Carolina's novelskate
Disc shape ~heart-shaped, as wide as long, with anterior margins slightly undulating, outer edges broadly rounded, rear edges strongly convex; snout short, rounded, soft & flexible,10-11% TL, with small triangular process at tip; eyes relatively large (>/= distance between them); nasal curtain in front of mouth with a pair of pits at front corners; tail 57-60% TL, slender, tapering at end, with a skin fold low on each side of rear half; pelvic fin with 2 distinct lobes joined by membrane, front lobe long, narrow and tapering, as long as or longer than rear lobe; upper surface of disc and tail, except rear edge of disc & front pelvic lobes densely covered in fine denticles; underside smooth, except tail edged with denticles to level of 1st dorsal fin; thorns around inside of each eye (8 small), an irregular row of 2-6 along nape, 0-2 on each shoulder; and 75-80 (~40 in juveniles) along center of rear half of disc and base of tail; tail with a narrow band of 2-3 irregular rows of small thorns at base then a smooth groove to 1st dorsal, rest of tail with dense denticles.
Uniform grey-brown above; upper surface of tail with / without indistinct dark cross-bars; lower surface variable: mainly brown with few pale areas to yellowish-white, with belly and rear edges of disc brown.
Reaches 29 cm.
Lives on soft bottoms.
Depth range 695-1010 m.
North Carolina to NE 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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- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- FishBase Habitat
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- Bathydemersal
- Feeding Group
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- Carnivore
- Data
- Diet
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- Mobile benthic gastropods/bivalves
- Data
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Egg Type
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- Data
- Benthic
- No pelagic larva
- No pelagic phase
- Global Endemism
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- Greater Caribbean non-endemic
- All species.
- West Atlantic Endemic
- Regional Endemism
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- Continent
- Continent only
- GC non-endemic
- All species..
- Extends North of GC
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Temperate (>35N)
- Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
- IUCN Red List
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- Listed
- Data deficient
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 29
- Depth Range Min
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- 695
- Depth Range Max
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- 1010