Note
Preliminary examination re vealed that the highly variable species, Breviraja
spinosa, consists of four distinct color morphs. Principal components analyses
based on morphometric characters, univariate analyses of meristic characters
and morphology of neurocrania, scapulocoracoids and claspers distinguished
among all of the color morphs and, thus, supported the hypothesis that each
represents a distinct species and that these are distinct from the only other
congener, B. colesi.