''Rostroraja'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

skate Skate or Skates may refer to: Fish *Skate (fish), several genera of fish belonging to the family Rajidae * Pygmy skates, several genera of fish belonging to the family Gurgesiellidae * Smooth skates or leg skates, several genera of fish belongin ...

belonging to the family Rajidae, native to the Atlantic Ocean and East Pacific, including the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on th ...

, Caribbean,

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United S ...

and

Gulf of California The Gulf of California ( es, Golfo de California), also known as the Sea of Cortés (''Mar de Cortés'') or Sea of Cortez, or less commonly as the Vermilion Sea (''Mar Bermejo''), is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean that separates the Baja C ...

. The genus was considered

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispec ...

in the past (containing only '' R. alba''), but a number of species usually classified in ''

Raja ''Raja'' (; from , IAST ') is a royal title used for South Asian monarchs. The title is equivalent to king or princely ruler in South Asia and Southeast Asia. The title has a long history in history of South Asia, South Asia and History of ...

'' have been reassigned to this genus based on genetic analysis.Last, P. R., B. Séret, M. F. W. Stehmann and S. Weigmann 2016. Chapter 19. Skates. Family Rajidae. In: Last et al. (eds.). 2016. Rays of the World. 204–363

Species

There are eight recognized species in the genus: * ''

Rostroraja ackleyi ''Rostroraja'' is a genus of skate belonging to the family Rajidae, native to the Atlantic Ocean and East Pacific, including the Mediterranean, Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico and Gulf of California. The genus was considered monotypic in the past (c ...

'' ( Garman, 1881) (ocellate skate) * '' Rostroraja alba'' (

Lacépède Lacepede can refer to: * Bernard Germain de Lacépède (1756–1825), French naturalist and politician. * Lacepede Bay, a bay in South Australia. * Lacépède, Lot-et-Garonne, a ''commune'' in France * Lacepede Islands, a group of four islands in ...

, 1803) (bottlenose skate) * ''

Rostroraja bahamensis ''Rostroraja'' is a genus of skate belonging to the family Rajidae, native to the Atlantic Ocean and East Pacific, including the Mediterranean, Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico and Gulf of California. The genus was considered monotypic in the past (c ...

'' ( Bigelow &

Schroeder __NOTOC__ Schroeder is a North German (from Schröder) occupational name for a cloth cutter or tailor, from an agent derivative of Middle Low German , "to cut". The same term was occasionally used to denote a gristmiller as well as a shoemaker, who ...

, 1965) (Bahama skate) * '' Rostroraja cervigoni'' ( Bigelow &

, 1964) (finspot ray) * '' Rostroraja eglanteria'' ( L. A. G. Bosc, 1800) (clearnose skate) * ''

Rostroraja equatorialis ''Rostroraja'' is a genus of skate belonging to the family Rajidae, native to the Atlantic Ocean and East Pacific, including the Mediterranean, Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico and Gulf of California. The genus was considered monotypic in the pa ...

'' ( D. S. Jordan & Bollman, 1890) (equatorial ray) * '' Rostroraja texana'' ( A. C. Chandler, 1921) (Roundel skate) * ''

Rostroraja velezi ''Rostroraja'' is a genus of skate belonging to the family Rajidae, native to the Atlantic Ocean and East Pacific, including the Mediterranean, Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico and Gulf of California. The genus was considered monotypic in the past ( ...

'' ( Chirichigno F., 1973) (Velez ray)

References

Ray genera Taxa named by P. Alexander Hulley Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Rajiformes-stub