The dorsal surface is pale greenish-brown, with speckling, round black spots and yellow blotches, giving it its specific name panthera from its resemblance to a leopard skin.

The background colour is light greenish brown, with vermiculated and round black spots and yellow blotches.

The holotype is housed in the University of Washington, College of Ocean and Fishery Sciences, Seattle, USA (collection number UW 116980).

This species is known from the western Aleutian Islands (Pacific Ocean, Bering Sea) or on Petrel Bank between longitudes 170° E and 179° W. All described specimens were collected at depths ranging from 51 m to 258 m. Orr, J.W., Stevenson, D.E., Hoff, G.R., Spies, I.

(2011): Bathyraja panthera, a new species of skate (Rajidae: Arhynchobatinae) from the western Aleutian Islands, and resurrection of the subgenus Arctoraja Ishiyama.