Scientific Name
Notoraja sapphira
Common Name
Sapphire Skate
Biology
A medium-size (413 mm TL) species of the genus Notoraja with the following combination of
characters: disc heart-shaped with a short projected snout tip; disc slightly wider than long, disc width 51?54% of TL, disc length 47?48% TL; snout short, preorbital snout length 12?15% TL, preoral snout length 12?15% TL; interorbital width 3.6?4.1% TL; interspiracular width 6.0?6.6% TL; tail long and slender, length from posterior margin of cloaca to tip of tail 54?58% TL; dorsal surface of disc largely free of dermal denticles; rostrum with some denticles but without thorns; a small but distinct preorbital thorn on anterior
upper orbital rim; denticles present on posterior mid-dorsal trunk; tail prickly with dense, irregular and randomly arranged thorns; mid-dorsal row on tail hardly distinct from the rest of thorn pattern; ventral surface of disc and tail naked; tooth rows 29?36 in upper jaw and 28?32 in lower jaw; pectoral-fin radials 67?70; monospondylous trunk centra 23?25; predorsal cau