Genus: Gurgesiella, Abyssal Skates, Abyssal Skate

GURGESIELLA

ABYSSAL SKATES

Disc rhombic, much wider than long, outer corners angular; snout short, bluntly rounded, with a small pointed tip, the tip firm due to a snout cartilage; pectoral rays reach nearly to tip of snout; nostrils greatly enlarged; pelvic fins not divided into two parts by a notch, with laterally directed pointed lobes & straight to diagonal rear margins;; tail slender, very elongate, ~2X disc length; dorsal fin usually absent, occasionally one present; tail fin with separate, unjoined top and bottom lobes; upper surface of disc with minute denticles, without large thorns on mid-back & without thorns at eyes or on shoulders; pores on underside of head light; male sex organ very long and slender.

An American genus with 3 species, 1 endemic to the Greater Caribbean