Belongs within: Chondrichthyes.
Contains: Raja, Bathyraja, Dipturus, Leucoraja.
The Rajiformes are fairly generalised rays with head, body and pectoral fins combined into a flat disc, and a slender tail bearing very small dorsal and caudal fins but lacking stinging spines. The pelvic fins are strongly bilobate, with a narrow anterior and broad posterior lobe, and males have curved, hooked alar spines on the disc.
Members include the Rajidae, skates, more than 200 species of generally diamond-shaped rays. Skates are benthic feeders on small invertebrates such as crustaceans and mollusks. Their eggs are laid in oblong cases with a curved horn at each corner, called ‘mermaid’s purses’. Hulley (1972) recognised two lineages within the Rajidae based on the structure of the claspers: in Dipturus, Leucoraja and related genera, a ventral structure composed of erectile tissue called the rhipidion is present. In Bathyraja and Raja, the rhipidion is absent and instead there is a dorsal cartilage-supported structure called the pseudorhipidion.
<==Rajiformes [Rajoidea, Rajoidei]
| i. s.: CooleyellaDC02
|--DiscobathidaeB40
|--Pseudoraja [Pseudorajidae]H72
| |--P. atlanticaH72
| `--P. fisheriH72
|--Cyclobatis [Cyclobatidae]CDZ93
| |--C. major Davis 1887CDZ93
| |--C. oligodactylus Egerton 1844CDZ93
| `--C. tuberculatus Cappetta 1980CDZ93
|--ArhynchobatidaeH72
| |--Arhynchobatis asperrimusH72
| |--PavorajaLC99b
| `--NotorajaLC99b
| | i. s.: N. ochroderma McEachran & Last 1994LC99b
| `--N. (Insentiraja)LC99b
| |--N. (I.) laxipella Yearsley & Last 1992LC99b
| `--N. (I.) subtilispinosa (Stehmann 1985)LC99b
|--Sclerorhynchidae [Sclerorhynchoidei]DC01
| |--MicropristisDC02
| |--LibanopristisDC02
| |--PtychotrygonDC01
| |--Schizorhiza stromeri Weiler 1930CDZ93
| |--Ctenopristis nougareti Arambourg 1940CDZ93
| |--Dalpiazia stromeri Checchia-Rispoli 1933CDZ93
| |--Ganopristis leptodon Arambourg 1935CDZ93
| |--Pucapristis Schaeffer 1963GM01
| | `--P. branisi Schaeffer 1963GM01
| |--Ischyrhiza Leidy 1856GM01
| | |--I. hartenbergeri Cappetta 1975GM01
| | `--I. nigeriensis (Tabaste 1963)CDZ93
| `--OnchopristisCDZ93
| |--O. numidus (Haug 1905)CDZ93
| `--O. praecursor Thurmond 1971CDZ93
|--AnacanthobatidaeH72
| |--Springeria Bigelow & Schroeder 1951H72
| | |--*S. foliorostris Bigelow & Schroeder 1951H72
| | |--S. longirostrisVF21
| | `--S. ori Wallace 1967H72
| |--Anacanthobatis Von Bonde & Swart 1923H72
| | |--*A. marmoratus Von Bonde & Swart 1923 [incl. A. dubius Von Bonde & Swart 1923, Springeria dubia]H72
| | |--A. americanusH72
| | |--A. borneensis Chan 1965LC99c
| | |--A. longirostrisH72
| | |--A. melanosoma (Chan 1965)LC99c
| | |--A. nanhaiensis (Meng & Li 1981)LC99c
| | `--A. stenosoma (Li & Hu 1982)LC99c
| `--Cruriraja Bigelow & Schroeder 1948LC99c, H72 [Crurirajidae]
| |--*C. atlantis Bigelow & Schroeder 1948H72
| |--C. cadenatiH72
| |--C. durbanensis (Von Bonde & Swart 1923)H72
| |--C. parcomaculata (Von Bonde & Swart 1923)H72
| |--C. poeyiH72
| |--C. rugosaH72
| `--C. triangularis Smith 1964H72
`--RajidaeH72
| i. s.: Malacoraja Stehmann 1970H72
| |--M. senta (Garman 1885) [=Raja senta]M02
| `--M. spinacidermis (Barnard 1923)H72 (see below for synonymy)
| PsammobatisH72
| |--P. extentaH72
| |--P. limaH72
| |--P. micropsH72
| `--P. scobinaH72
| RhinorajaH72
| |--R. kujiensisH72
| |--R. longicaudaH72
| `--R. odaiH72
| Breviraja Bigelow & Schroeder 1948H72
| `--B. colesiH72
| Gurgesiella [Gurgesiellidae]LC99a
| |--G. furvescensH72
| `--G. sibogae (Weber 1913)LC99a
| Rajorhina expansa (Davis 1887)CDZ93
| Mafdetia tibniensis Werner 1989CDZ93
| PteroplateaL43
| |--P. altavela [=Trygon altavela]L43
| |--P. hirundo Lowe 1843L43
| |--P. macluraL43
| `--P. micruraL43
|--+--RajaH72
| `--BathyrajaH72
`--+--DipturusH72
`--+--Amblyraja Malm 1877 [incl. Deltaraia Leigh-Sharpe 1924 (nom. inv.)]H72
| |--*A. radiata (Donovan 1808)H72 [=Raja radiataM02, Deltaraia radiataH72]
| |--A. duellojuradoi [=Raja (Amblyraja duellojuradoi]H72
| |--A. badia [=Raja (Amblyraja) badia]H72
| |--A. frerischi [=Raja (Amblyraja) frerischi]H72
| |--A. georgiana [=Raja (Amblyraja) georgiana]H72
| |--A. hypoborea [=Raja (Amblyraja) hypoborea]H72
| |--A. jenseniM02 [=Raja (Amblyraja) jenseniH72]
| `--A. robertsi (Hulley 1970) [=Raja robertsi]H72
`--+--LeucorajaH72
`--Rajella Stehmann 1970H72
|--*R. fyllae (Lütken 1888) [=Raja fyllae]H72
|--R. annandalei (Weber 1913) [=Raja (Rajella) annandalei]LC99a
|--R. bigelowiM02
|--R. caudaspinosa (Von Bonde & Swart 1923) [=Raja (Rajella) caudaspinosa]H72
|--R. confundens (Hulley 1970) [=Raja (Rajella) confundens]H72
|--R. dissimilis (Hulley 1970) [=Raja (Rajella) dissimilis]H72
|--R. lentiginosa [=Raja (Rajella) lentiginosa]H72
|--R. leopardus (Von Bonde & Swart 1923) [=Raja (Rajella) leopardus]H72
`--R. ravidula (Hulley 1970) [=Raja (Rajella) ravidula]H72
Malacoraja spinacidermis (Barnard 1923)H72 [=Raja spinacidermisH72; incl. R. mollis Bigelow & Schroeder 1950H72, G61, R. (*Malacoraja) mollisH72]
*Type species of generic name indicated
References
[B40] Berg, L. S. 1940. Classification of fishes both recent and fossil. Travaux de l’Institute Zoologique de l’Academie des Sciences de l’URSS 5 (2): 87–517.
[CDZ93] Cappetta, H., C. Duffin & J. Zidek. 1993. Chondrichthyes. In: Benton, M. J. (ed.) The Fossil Record 2 pp. 593–609. Chapman & Hall: London.
[DC01] Delsate, D., & L. Candoni. 2001. Description de nouveaux morphotypes dentaires de Batomorphii toarciens (Jurassique inférieur) du Bassin de Paris: Archaeobatidae nov. fam. Bull. Soc. Nat. Luxemb. 102: 131–143.
[DC02] Delsate, D., & L. Candoni. 2002. Les premieres raies (Chondrichthyes—Elasmobranchii) au Jurassique inferieur en Lorraine (Luxembourg, Belgique, France) et dans le Bassin de Paris. Bulletin de l’Académie Lorraine des Sciences 41 (3–4): 93–103.
[G61] Garrick, J. A. F. 1961. Studies on New Zealand Elasmobranchii. Part XIII. A new species of Raja from 1,300 fathoms. Transactions of the Royal Society of New Zealand 88 (4): 743–748.
[GM01] Gayet, M., L. G. Marshall, T. Sempere, F. J. Meunier, H. Cappetta & J-C. Rage. 2001. Middle Maastrichtian vertebrates (fishes, amphibians, dinosaurs and other reptiles, mammals) from Pajcha Pata (Bolivia). Biostratigraphic, palaeoecologic and palaeobiostratigraphic implications. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 169: 39–68.
[H72] Hulley, P. A. 1972. The origin, interrelationship and distribution of southern African Rajidae (Chondrichthyes, Batoidei). Annals of the South African Museum 60 (1): 1–103.
[LC99a] Last, P. R., & L. J. V. Compagno. 1999a. Rajidae. Hardnose skates. In: Carpenter, K. E., & V. H. Niem (eds) The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific vol. 3. Batoid fishes, chimaeras and bony fishes part 1 (Elopidae to Linophrynidae) pp. 1452–1456. FAO: Rome.
[LC99b] Last, P. R., & L. J. V. Compagno. 1999b. Arhynchobatidae. Softnose skates. In: Carpenter, K. E., & V. H. Niem (eds) The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific vol. 3. Batoid fishes, chimaeras and bony fishes part 1 (Elopidae to Linophrynidae) pp. 1457–1461. FAO: Rome.
[LC99c] Last, P. R., & L. J. V. Compagno. 1999c. Anacanthobatidae. Legskates. In: Carpenter, K. E., & V. H. Niem (eds) The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific vol. 3. Batoid fishes, chimaeras and bony fishes part 1 (Elopidae to Linophrynidae) pp. 1462–1466. FAO: Rome.
[L43] Lowe, R. T. 1843. On the fishes of Madeira. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 11: 81–95.
[M02] McEachran, J. D. 2002. Skates. Family Rajidae. In: Collette, B. B. & G. Klein-MacPhee (eds) Bigelow and Schroeder’s Fishes of the Gulf of Maine 3rd ed. pp. 60–75. Smithsonian Institute Press: Washington.
[VF21] Vullo, R., E. Frey, C. Ifrim, M. A. González González, E. S. Stinnesbeck & W. Stinnesbeck. 2021. Manta-like planktivorous sharks in Late Cretaceous oceans. Science 371: 1253–1256.