New records and range extension of two deep-sea skate genera, Amblyraja and Notoraja (Elasmobranchii: Rajiformes), in the southeastern Pacific Ocean

Zavalaga F.; Contreras I.; Campos-León S.; Moreno-Méndez A.; Saldarriaga M. · Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom (2024) · DOI: 10.1017/s0025315424000122

Resumen

Two species of deep-sea skates, Amblyraja frerichsi and Notoraja martinezi, are reported for the first time in Peruvian waters, representing the first record of their respective genera from the country. Earlier, A. frerichsi was known from both the southwestern Atlantic (off Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina) and southeastern Pacific (off Chile), while N. martinezi was known from Costa Rica to Ecuador in the eastern-central and southeastern Pacific. This study contributes to the limited knowledge of deep-sea fish diversity along the South American west coast, and stresses the need of further taxonomic research in the region, particularly in light of the ecological importance of this group of fishes in marine ecosystems and its conservation state worldwide. © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University.