PBDB Taxon

Basic info	Taxonomic history	Classification	Included Taxa
Morphology	Ecology and taphonomy	External Literature Search	Age range and collections

Raja

Chondrichthyes - Rajiformes - Rajidae

Taxonomy

Raja was named by Linnaeus (1758) [Sepkoski's age data: K Maes R]. It is extant. Its type is Raja batis.

It was assigned to Rajiformes by Woodward (1889); to Galeomorphii by Sepkoski (2002); and to Rajidae by Jaekel (1894), Hay (1902), Eastman (1904), Leriche (1926), Leriche (1942), Dartevelle and Casier (1943), Casier (1946), Jordan (1963), Cassier (1966), Jonet (1968), Cappetta (1980), Thurmond and Jones (1981), Bendix-Almgreen (1983), Cappetta (1987), Purdy et al. (2001), Cahuzac et al. (2007), Cicimurri and Knight (2009), Welton (2015), Kent (2018), Villafaña et al. (2020), Villafaña et al. (2025).

Species

R. antiqua, R. batis (type species), R. cecilae, R. clavata, R. davisi, R. farishi, R. gentili, R. harrisae, R. holsatica, R. louisi, R. marandati, R. mccollumi, R. michauxi, R. olisiponensis, R. praeclavata, R. primarmata, R. rugosa, R. similis, R. sudhakari, R. texana, R. thiedei

Species lacking formal opinion data

R. agassizi, R. biloculata, R. sloani, R. terhagensis

Synonymy list

Year	Name and author
1758	Raja Linnaeus p. 231
1889	Raja Woodward p. 85
1894	Raja Jaekel p. 63
1902	Raja Hay p. 315
1904	Raja Eastman p. 71
1926	Raja Leriche p. 383
1942	Raja Leriche p. 12
1943	Raja Dartevelle and Casier p. 177
1946	Raja Casier p. 100
1963	Raja Jordan p. 603
1966	Raja Cassier p. 90
1968	Raja Jonet p. 247
1980	Raja Cappetta p. 202
1981	Raja Thurmond and Jones p. 72
1983	Raja Bendix-Almgreen p. 2
1987	Raja Cappetta p. 143
2001	Raja Purdy et al. p. 89
2002	Raja Sepkoski
2007	Raja Cahuzac et al. p. 26
2009	Raja Cicimurri and Knight p. 635
2015	Raja Welton p. 8
2018	Raja Kent p. 124
2020	Raja Villafaña et al.
2025	Raja Villafaña et al. p. 12

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Rank	Name	Author
kingdom	Animalia	()
—	Bilateria
—	Eubilateria	Ax 1987
—	Deuterostomia
phylum	Chordata	Haeckel 1874
subphylum	Vertebrata
superclass	Gnathostomata
class	Chondrichthyes

Rank	Name	Author
infraclass	Elasmobranchii	(Bonaparte 1838)
—	Euselachii	()
—	Neoselachii	Compagno 1977
superorder	Batomorphii
order	Rajiformes	Berg 1940
family	Rajidae	Blainville 1816
genus	Raja

If no rank is listed, the taxon is considered an unranked clade in modern classifications. Ranks may be repeated or presented in the wrong order because authors working on different parts of the classification may disagree about how to rank taxa.

G. Raja Linnaeus 1758

show all | hide all

†Raja antiqua Agassiz 1843

†Raja batis Linnaeus 1758

†Raja cecilae Steurbaut and Herman 1978

†Raja clavata Linnaeus 1767

†Raja davisi Fowler 1958

†Raja farishi Case and Cappetta 1997

†Raja gentili Joleaud 1912

†Raja harrisae Ward 1984

†Raja holsatica Reinecke et al. 2008

†Raja louisi Cappetta 1972

†Raja marandati Adnet 2006

†Raja mccollumi Cicimurri and Knight 2009

†Raja michauxi Adnet 2006

†Raja olisiponensis Jonet 1968

†Raja praeclavata Jonet 1968

†Raja primarmata Woodward 1889

†Raja rugosa Probst 1877

†Raja similis Woodward 1889

†Raja sudhakari Prasad and Cappetta 1993

†Raja texana Leriche 1942

†Raja thiedei Reinecke 2015

Diagnosis

No diagnoses are available

Measurements

No measurements are available

Composition:

phosphaticsubp

Environment:

marinesubp

Locomotion:

actively mobileo

Life habit:

nektobenthico

Diet:

carnivoreo

Created:

2009-07-21 07:15:23

Modified:

2009-07-21 09:15:23

Source: o = order, subp = subphylum

References: Hendy et al. 2009, Carroll 1988, Wagner 2023

Age range: base of the Rhaetian to the top of the Holocene or 205.70000 to 0.00000 Ma

Collections (136 total)

Time interval	Ma	Country or state	Original ID and collection number
Rhaetian	205.7 - 201.4	Germany (Baden-Württemberg)	R. sp. (91635)
Late/Upper Santonian	85.7 - 83.6	Lebanon	R. davisi (92241)
Late/Upper Maastrichtian	72.2 - 66.0	Sweden	R. sp. (214328)
Late/Upper Maastrichtian	72.2 - 66.0	USA (Arkansas)	R. farishi (242204)
Late/Upper Maastrichtian	72.2 - 66.0	USA (Texas)	R. farishi (61738)
Late/Upper Maastrichtian	72.2 - 66.0	USA (North Carolina)	R. farishi (241417)
Maastrichtian	72.2 - 66.0	USA (Maryland)	R. farishi (83331)
Maastrichtian	72.2 - 66.0	India (Andhra Pradesh)	R. sp. (58100)
Maastrichtian	72.2 - 66.0	Trinidad and Tobago (Trinidad)	R. sp. (221504)
Selandian	61.66 - 59.24	Angola (Cabinda)	R. sp. (242334)
Thanetian	59.24 - 56.0	Niger	R. louisi (229530)
Early/Lower Eocene	56.0 - 48.07	USA (Texas)	R. texana (83826)
Ypresian	56.0 - 48.07	Netherlands	R. sp. 1 (276509) R. sp. 2 (276520)
Ypresian	56.0 - 48.07	United Kingdom (England)	R. harrisae (204217)
Lutetian	48.07 - 41.03	France	R. marandati (61215 74858) R. michauxi (161754 277212 277214 277215 277216 277217 277219)
Lutetian	48.07 - 41.03	Netherlands	R. cecilae (276459)
Lutetian - Bartonian	48.07 - 37.71	Netherlands	R. cecilae (276456)
Middle Eocene	48.07 - 37.71	Ukraine (Crimea)	R. sp. (140018)
Bartonian	41.03 - 37.71	USA (Alabama)	R. sp. (16848)
Bartonian - Priabonian	41.03 - 33.9	USA (Oregon)	R. sp. (201282)
Priabonian	37.71 - 33.9	USA (Georgia)	R. sp. (45640)
Rupelian	33.9 - 27.3	USA (South Carolina)	R. sp., R. mccollumi (60444 224900)
Rupelian	33.9 - 27.3	Germany	R. terhagensis, R. ceciliae (46096)
Rupelian	33.9 - 27.3	Belgium	R. cecilae (277427 277429 277430 277443 277460 277491) R. sp. (277433 277434 277436 277438 277444 277445 277450 277456 277463 277464 277468 277471 277472 277474 277478 277480 277482 277484 277488 277492 277497) R. sp., R. cecilae (277466 277490)
Rupelian	33.9 - 27.3	Poland	R. sp. (277584)
Chattian	27.3 - 23.04	USA (South Carolina)	R. sp., R. mccollumi (97550)
Chattian	27.3 - 23.04	Germany (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern)	R. holsatica, R. thiedei (80366)
Early/Lower Miocene	23.04 - 15.98	India (Gujarat)	R. sp. (87721)
Early/Lower Miocene	23.04 - 15.98	India (Orissa)	R. sp. (42842)
Burdigalian	20.45 - 15.98	France	R. gentili (276527)
Burdigalian	20.45 - 15.98	Germany	R. sp. (277549)
Burdigalian	20.45 - 15.98	Germany (Bavaria)	R. sp. (210593)
Burdigalian	20.45 - 15.98	Belgium	R. sp. (277562) R. sp., R. holsatica (208831)
Burdigalian - Langhian	20.45 - 13.82	Belgium	R. clavata (277894)
Burdigalian - Serravallian	20.45 - 11.63	Portugal	R. olisiponensis (277554 277556)
Langhian	15.98 - 13.82	USA (Virginia)	R. sp. (79793)
Langhian	15.98 - 13.82	France	R. gentili (277771)
Langhian	15.98 - 13.82	Belgium	R. sp. (277563 277564 277565)
Langhian	15.98 - 13.82	USA (California)	R. sp. (59059)
Middle Miocene	15.98 - 11.63	Japan (Gifu)	R. sp. (161445)
Badenian	13.82 - 12.8	Czechia (Mikulov)	Dipturus olisiponensis (161993) R. sp. (161995)
Serravallian	13.82 - 11.63	USA (Virginia)	R. sp. (126605 187324)
Serravallian - Tortonian	13.82 - 7.246	Malta (Ras ii-Karraba)	R. gentili (161384)
Tortonian	11.63 - 7.246	Denmark	R. sp. (98312)
Tortonian	11.63 - 7.246	USA (Virginia)	R. sp. (152251)
Tortonian	11.63 - 7.246	Netherlands (Noord-Brabant)	R. sp. (89445)
Tortonian	11.63 - 7.246	Poland	R. sp. (121515)
Tortonian	11.63 - 7.246	Chile	R. sp. (275717)
Tortonian	11.63 - 7.246	Portugal	R. praeclavata (91355)
Late/Upper Miocene	11.63 - 5.333	Panama (Panama)	R. sloani (191998)
Late/Upper Miocene	11.63 - 5.333	Costa Rica (Limon)	R. sp. (162678)
Late/Upper Miocene	11.63 - 5.333	South Africa	R. sp. (22219)
Late/Upper Miocene	11.63 - 5.333	Spain (Huelva)	R. olisiponensis (276727)
Late/Upper Miocene	11.63 - 5.333	Netherlands (Noord-Brabant)	R. sp. (162679)
Late/Upper Miocene	11.63 - 5.333	Netherlands	R. sp. (53889)
Late/Upper Miocene - Early/Lower Pliocene	11.63 - 3.6	USA (Florida)	R. sp. (276265)
Messinian	7.246 - 5.333	USA (Virginia)	R. sp. (179732)
Messinian	7.246 - 5.333	Portugal (Alvalade)	R. sp., R. olisiponensis (65955)
Messinian	7.246 - 5.333	Portugal	R. sp. (65954 91423)
Zanclean	5.333 - 3.6	USA (North Carolina)	R. sp. (52582)
Zanclean	5.333 - 3.6	Italy	Dipturus olisiponensis (276542)
Zanclean	5.333 - 3.6	Spain	R. sp. 1 (165170 277523) R. sp. 1, R. sp. 2 (277521)
Zanclean	5.333 - 3.6	Spain (Huelva)	R. sp. (151889 151892 276726) R. sp., R. olisiponensis (151888 151891)
Zanclean	5.333 - 3.6	USA (South Carolina)	R. sp. (77594)
Zanclean	5.333 - 3.6	Spain (Alicante)	Dipturus olisiponensis (118104)
Zanclean - Piacenzian	5.333 - 2.58	Netherlands (Noord-Brabant)	R. sp., R. clavata (59003)
Late/Upper Pliocene	3.6 - 2.58	Argentina (Buenos Aires)	R. agassizi (53926) R. sp. (213136)
Piacenzian	3.6 - 2.58	Netherlands (Noord-Brabant)	R. sp. (89446)
Piacenzian	3.6 - 2.58	Spain	R. sp. (277730)
Gelasian	2.58 - 1.8	United Kingdom (England)	R. batis (78012)
Early/Lower Pleistocene	2.58 - 0.774	United Kingdom (England)	R. clavata (58420)
Pleistocene	2.58 - 0.0117	USA (Oregon)	R. sp. (59062)
Chibanian	0.774 - 0.129	USA (California)	R. spp. (84881 226584 276728)
Middle Pleistocene	0.774 - 0.129	USA (Oregon)	R. biloculata (222407 222408)
Late/Upper Pleistocene	0.129 - 0.0117	USA (California)	R. sp. (190889) R. spp. (59063 85314 219031 226585)
Late/Upper Pleistocene	0.129 - 0.0117	USA (Virginia)	R. sp. (73485)
Holocene	0.0117 - 0.0	USA (California)	R. spp. (276600)