Bigelow's ray

Bigelow's ray (Rajella bigelowi), also called the chocolate skate or Bigelow's skate, is a species of skate in the family Rajidae. It is named in honour of the oceanographer Henry Bryant Bigelow.

Distribution
Bigelow's ray lives on continental slopes and deepwater rises around the edges of the Atlantic Ocean. It has been recorded at 367 - 4156 m, mostly below 1500 m.

Description
Like all rays, Bigelow's ray has a flattened body with broad, wing-like pectoral fins. The body is sub-rhomboid. It is dark on the dorsal surface, with the outer edges of the disc and pelvic fins shading to a slightly darker colour.

Its maximum length is 55 cm.

Behaviour
Bigelow's ray feeds on small benthic crustaceans.

Life cycle
Bigelow's ray is oviparous. The eggs are oblong capsules with stiff pointed horns at the corners; they are deposited in sandy or muddy flats.

It is parasitised by Ditrachybothridium macrocephalum (tapeworms of the order Diphyllidea).