Richardson's ray explained

Richardson's ray (Bathyraja richardsoni) is a skate of the family Arhynchobatidae, found in the Atlantic Ocean and around Cook Strait in New Zealand, at depths of from 1,300 to 2,500 m. Their length can reach 1.75 m.^[1] Dorsal and ventral surfaces of the disc are uniformly covered with dermal denticles, but lack thorns on the disc. The tail has 18 moderately sized thorns.^[2]

Conservation status

The New Zealand Department of Conservation has classified the Richardson's ray as being "Not Threatened" but with the qualifier "Data Poor" under the New Zealand Threat Classification System.^[3]

Notes and References

1. Book: Tony . Ayling . Geoffrey. Cox . Collins Guide to the Sea Fishes of New Zealand . William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand . 1982 . 0-00-216987-8.
2. McEachrun . J.D. . Miyake . T. . Comments on the skates of the tropical Eastern Pacific: One new species and three new records . Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington . 97 . 773–787 . 1984.
3. Book: Duffy, Clinton A. J.. Conservation status of New Zealand chondrichthyans (chimaeras, sharks and rays), 2016. Francis. Malcolm. Dunn. M. R.. Finucci. Brit. Ford. Richard. Hitchmough. Rod. Rolfe. Jeremy. Department of Conservation. 2016. 9781988514628. Wellington, New Zealand. 9. 1042901090.