Prickly deep-sea skate

The prickly deep-sea skate (Brochiraja spinifera), or spiny deep-sea skate, is a deep sea skate in the family Arhynchobatidae.^[2] It lives off New Zealand, at depths of from 170 to 1,400 m on the continental shelf.^[3] Their length is from 60 to 80 cm.^[3]

Prickly deep-sea skate
Drawing by Dr Tony Ayling
Conservation status
Data Deficient  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Chondrichthyes
Subclass:	Elasmobranchii
Order:	Rajiformes
Family:	Arhynchobatidae
Genus:	Brochiraja
Species:	B. spinifera
Binomial name
Brochiraja spinifera (Garrick & Paul, 1974)
Synonyms
Bathyraja spinifera Garrick & Paul, 1974 Notoraja spinifera (Garrick & Paul, 1974) Pavoraja spinifera (Garrick & Paul, 1974)

Conservation status

The New Zealand Department of Conservation classifies the prickly deep-sea skate as "Data deficient" under the New Zealand Threat Classification System.^[4]