Rostroraja alba Lacepède, 1803

Spearnose Skate

Raja alba Lacepède, 1803: 661, 663, Pl. 20 (Fig. 1). No types known. Type locality: France, La Manche /English Channel.

Local synonymy: Raia marginata: Regan, 1908a: 242; Gilchrist & Thompson, 1916: 270; Barnard, 1925: 65, fig. 1, pl. 4; Clark, 1926: 47, pls. 28–30, 31a (South Africa); von Bonde, 1933: 41; von Bonde, 1934: 16; Barnard, 1947: 26, fig. 11, pl. 3. Raja marginata: Thompson, 1914: 158. Raia alba: von Bonde & Swart, 1923: 5; Smith, 1949a: 66, fig. 67; Smith, 1964: 285; Smith, 1965: 66, fig. 67. Raja alba: Norman, 1935: 37; Fowler, 1941: 365; Hulley, 1966: 497, fig. 8; Wallace, 1967a: 27, figs. 13–15; Hulley, 1969: 137; Hulley, 1970: 176, figs. 8a–c, pls. 5a–b; Hulley, 1972a: 86, figs. 58–59; Hulley, 1986: 119, fig. 25.6; Stehmann, 1995: 104. Raja (Rostroraja) alba: Compagno et al., 1989: 94, pl.; Compagno et al., 1991: 107; Ebert et al., 1991: 73. Rostroraja alba: Compagno, 1999: 117; Heemstra & Heemstra, 2004: 81; Compagno & Ebert, 2007: 141, fig. 7d; Ebert & Compagno, 2007: 121; Ebert et al., 2008: 96; NPOA, 2013: 53; da Silva et al., 2015: 247; Ebert & van Hees, 2015: 147; Last et al., 2016f: 24; Last et al., 2016g: 352, fig. 19.143; McEachran & Séret, 2016: 1403; Weigmann, 2016: 959.

South Africa voucher material: SAIAB 7839, SAIAB 7840, SAIAB 7841, SAIAB 7854, SAIAB 7864, SAIAB 7881, SAIAB 8065, SAIAB 8531, SAIAB 10093, SAIAB 11152, SAIAB 11153, SAIAB 11927, SAIAB 12682, SAIAB 12835, SAIAB 13298, SAIAB 16424, SAIAB 25748, SAIAB 25969, SAIAB 26900, SAIAB 26901, SAIAB 26902, SAIAB 41538, SAIAB 41539, SAIAB 44247, SAIAB 48528, SAIAB 48529, SAIAB 189149, SAIAB 189150.

South African distribution: The Orange River (NC) to Kosi Bay (KZN) .

Remarks: One of the largest known skates, growing up to 250 cm TL. The population in South Africa appears to be centered along the west coast to Algoa Bay.

Conservation status: EN (2006).