Species: Rajella fuliginea, Sooty skate, Sooty smallskate

Rajella fuliginea Bigelow & Schroeder, 1954

Sooty smallskate,  Sooty skate

Disc heart shaped,  1.1X wider than long, front edges straight, the outer corners broadly rounded;  pectorals fused to disc from head back to insertion of pelvic fins, their skeletal supports end distinctly before tip of snout; snout angular, very blunt, stiff,  length before eyes 10% TL; rostral cartilage solid and stiff to tip of snout;  tail with moderately narrow base, long, gradually tapering, length 56-65% TL, with narrow side folds on rear 40%, 2 dorsal fins similar in size & shape, confluent, tail fin short, low dorsal lobe; pelvic fins consist of 2 lobes completely separated by a notch, front lobe 90% of length of rear lobe; thorns: a group of small thorns at front of snout ridge, a half ring of 4 around inner edges of eyes, a triangular patch of ~7 thorns on nape & shoulders, a row of 6 along center of back from nape to level of rear insertion of pectorals, then 3-4 irregular rows along front 80% of tail, then 2 thorns on midline before 1st dorsal fin; upper surface of disc (except rear edges of pectorals and front lobes of pelvics) & tail densely & uniformly covered with relatively coarse denticles; lower surface: disc free of denticles, tail with broad bands along edges, a narrow naked strip along center.

Top surface uniform dark grey, darkest on front lobes of pelvics; lower surface dark chocolate to black, darker than top, somewhat paler on pelvics and tail.

Reaches 45 cm.

Lives on soft bottoms

Depth range 731-1280 m.

The Gulf of Mexico to the southern Caribbean.