A new deep-sea softnose skate, the Western Blue Skate Notoraja hesperindica, is described based on six specimens caught in deep water at 1600 m depths off southern Mozambique and northwestern Madagascar in the western Indian Ocean.
This blue skate is a medium-sized species, reaching a total length of at least 55 cm, and is the only Notoraja species known from the western Indian Ocean and differs with other skate in the area by its intense dark blue-grayish coloration.
Reference: Weigmann et al., 2021 Notoraja hesperindica sp. nov., a new colorful deep-sea softnose skate (Elasmobranchii, Rajiformes, Arhynchobatidae) and first generic record from the western Indian Ocean. Marine Biodiversity.
Photo: a male Western Blue Skate, with a remarkable cyanine blue color.
