The prickly brown ray is medium in size compared to other skates, and is known from a patchy, deep-water distribution in the western Atlantic Ocean.

[2] Its species name is a reference to ichthyologist John Teevan, in appreciation for the help he gave the authors Bigelow and Schroeder when he worked as editor-in-chief for the book, Fishes of the Western Atlantic.

[3] The prickly brown ray was first given the name Raja teevani by its discoverers, Henry Bryant Bigelow and William Charles Schroeder, after being caught accidentally on a shrimp related expedition in the Gulf of Mexico in the winter of 1950-1951.

[6] Dipturus teevani can be distinguished from other rays in its genus by its long snout (22% of total length), which forms an acute angle with the pectoral fins (around 70°).

[1] Large regions: from North Carolina to the Florida Keys, from the northern Gulf of Mexico, Bahamas, Lesser Antilles, coasts of Nicaragua, Honduras and Colombia are known to support it.