Morphology Data of Rajella paucispinosa
Identification keys
Abnormalities
Main Ref. Weigmann, S., M.F.W. Stehmann and R. Thiel, 2014
Appearance refers to
Bones in OsteoBase

Sex attributes

Specialized organs
Different appearance
Different colors
Remarks

Descriptive characteristics of juvenile and adult

Striking features
Body shape lateral
Cross section flattened
Dorsal head profile
Type of eyes
Type of mouth/snout
Position of mouth
Type of scales placoid scales
Diagnosis

This small species of the genus is distinguished by the following characters: disc is an evenly inverse heart-shaped with broadly rounded outer corners and with body length to mid-vent shorter than tail length from mid-vent; length of preorbital snout 10.9% and distance between first gill slits 14.1% of TL; large orbits with horizontal diameter 1.4 times interorbital width; its dorsal surface is almost completely covered with dermal denticles; the tail with large and coarse, densely set spinules as well as sharp, hooked thornlets that are not much larger than spinules; one small, blunt pre- and postorbital thorn on each side, one small nuchal thorn and one small right scapular thorn (left one not detectable, abraded), and a median row of two small median posterior trunk and 15 small median tail thorns; colour when fresh, dorsal surface plain chalk white including orbits and ventral surface grayish-white; bases of equal-sized and short but high dorsal fins confluent; the postdorsal tail section is very short, with low epichordal caudal lobe which is confluent with second dorsal fin; whitish lateral tail folds along posterior 45% of tail; tooth rows on upper jaw 31; pectoral fin radials 55-56; clasper without external pseudosiphon, the inner dorsal lobe with components slit, terminal bridge, and two clefts and the inner ventral lobe with components shield, rhipidion, pent, sentinel, spike, and dike; terminal clasper skeleton with 4 dorsal terminal cartilages, a terminal bridge, a ventral terminal, and 2 accessory terminal cartilages; anterior cranial fontanelle with clear-cut contour all around and extending about one third into rostral shaft length; subquadratic scapulocoracoid, the rear corner sharply marked, large oval anterior fenestra without anterior bridge, one moderately large, oval postdorsal and postventral fenestra, respectively; pelvic girdle with massive ischiopubic bar with nearly straight anterior and deeply concave posterior contour; prepelvic processes are short, solid, conical, and somewhat inclined outwards, their length 1.9 times median thickness of ischiopubic bar (Ref. 96993).

Ease of Identification

Meristic characteristics of Rajella paucispinosa

Lateral Lines Interrupted: No
Scales on lateral line
Pored lateral line scales
Scales in lateral series
Scale rows above lateral line
Scale rows below lateral line
Scales around caudal peduncle
Barbels
Gill clefts (sharks/rays only)
Gill rakers
on lower limb
on upper limb
total
Vertebrae
preanal
total

Fins

Dorsal fin(s)

Attributes
Fins number
Finlets No. Dorsal   
Ventral  
Spines total
Soft-rays total
Adipose fin

Caudal fin

Attributes

Anal fin(s)

Fins number
Spines total
Soft-rays total

Paired fins

Pectoral Attributes  
Spines     
Soft-rays   
Pelvics Attributes  
Position    
Spines     
Soft-rays   
Main Ref. (e.g. 9948)
Glossary ( e.g. cephalopods )
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cfm script by eagbayani, 17.10.00, php script by rolavides, 13/03/08 ,  last modified by sortiz, 06.27.17