Abyssal Skate

Like all rays, the deepwater ray has a flattened body with broad, wing-like pectoral fins. The dorsal surface of adults is white. The outer edges of pectoral and pelvic fins shade to darker. The upper surface is spinulose, but there are bare patches in the centre of the pectoral fins and on sides of body in adult males. The dorsal fins are confluent. Its maximum length is 90 cm (3.0 ft).

The deepwater ray is bathydemersal; it has been recorded at 600–2,300 m (2,000–7,500 ft), mostly below 1,300–1,400 m (4,300–4,600 ft). It has been found in seas worldwide, concentrated in the North Atlantic, living on continental slopes and abyssal plains. They ccur in water temperatures between 2.5–4 °C (36.5–39.2 °F).

Juveniles feed on small benthic invertebrates, while larger deepwater rays feed on larger invertebrates and fish. It is parasitised by Echeneibothrium bathyphilum, a cestode tapeworm of the order Rhinebothriidea.