Urogymnus asperrimus (Bloch & Schneider, 1801)

Porcupine Ray

Raja asperrima Bloch & Schneider, 1801: 367 . Holotype: ZMB 7836 (dry skin, partial specimen). Type locality: Mumbai, India.

Local synonymy: Urogymnus africanus— Filewood, 1973: 12 (PNG). Urogymnus asperrimus — Kailola, 1987: 29 (New Britain; Yule Island; Bougainville); Allen, 1998: 67 (Milne Bay); Allen et al., 2003: 112 (Milne Bay); Hamilton et al., 2009: 73 (northern Bismarck Archipelago); White et al., 2018: 266, figs (PNG).

PNG voucher material: (2 spec.) KFRS E.265 (dried jaws), adult male, New Britain, Sep. 1966; KFRS E.682, juvenile male 520 mm DW, Katatai, Western Province, 9°1’15.13” S, 143°20’30.6” E, 23 Oct. 2014.

Remarks: First recorded from PNG by Filewood (1973) as Urogymnus africanus, a junior synonym of U. asperrimus . Destroyed KFRS specimens were collected from Yule Island, Hall Sound and Bougainville.