Common names
Sapphire Skate, Raie saphir (fra(T))

Short Description
A medium-size (413 mm TL) species of the genus Notoraja with the following combination of characters: disc heart-shaped with a short projected snout tip; disc slightly wider than long, disc width 51–54% of TL, disc length 47–48% TL; snout short, preorbital snout length 12–15% TL, preoral snout length 12–15% TL; interorbital width 3.6–4.1% TL; interspiracular width 6.0–6.6% TL; tail long and slender, length from posterior margin of cloaca to tip of tail 54–58% TL; dorsal surface of disc largely free of dermal denticles; rostrum with some denticles but without thorns; a small but distinct preorbital thorn on anterior upper orbital rim; denticles present on posterior mid-dorsal trunk; tail prickly with dense, irregular and randomly arranged thorns; mid-dorsal row on tail hardly distinct from the rest of thorn pattern; ventral surface of disc and tail naked; tooth rows 29–36 in upper jaw and 28–32 in lower jaw; pectoral-fin radials 67–70; monospondylous trunk centra 23–25; predorsal caudal diplospondylous centra 70-74; total number of centra 126–134; dorsal surface rich blue, uniform, with a narrow blackish outer margin; ventral surface of disc and tail brownish black, gill slits darker, cloaca opening and mouth corners whitish (Ref. 81757).

Distribution
South-West Pacific: Coral Sea and Tasman Sea. Known only from the five type specimens collected on the slopes of the Norfolk Ridge (Ref. 81757).

Biology
Subtropical; 25°S - 35°S, 167°E - 169°E

Size / Weight / Age
Max length : 36.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 81757); 41.3 cm TL (female)

Remarks
shark-references Species-ID=8389;