| Family: |
Rajidae (Skates) |
| Max. size: |
95 cm TL (male/unsexed) |
| Environment: |
bathydemersal; marine; depth range 130 - 1920 m |
| Distribution: |
Eastern Atlantic: off eastern and western South Africa to off Mauritania |
| Diagnosis: |
Large skate with a moderately long snout, small eyes, and a flat disc; tail about as long as body; small inconspicuous, light thorns on upper surface including snout (Ref. 5578). Medium grey to brownish dorsally, often with dark spots; white or mottled with dusky patches ventrally (Ref. 5578). |
| Biology: |
Found in deeper shelf and slope waters (Ref. 4426). Feed on bottom crustaceans, dragonets, rattails, hake, lanternfish, sea pens, cuttlefish and polychaete worms (Ref. 5578). Oviparous. Distinct pairing with embrace. Young may tend to follow large objects, such as their mother (Ref. 205). Eggs are oblong capsules with stiff pointed horns at the corners deposited in sandy or muddy flats (Ref. 205). Egg capsules are 7.4 cm long and 7.4 cm wide (Ref. 41249). Caught by hake trawlers (Ref. 5578). |
| IUCN Red List Status: |
Least Concern (LC); Date assessed: 31 August 2020 Ref. (130435)
|
| Threat to humans: |
harmless |
Source and more info: www.fishbase.org. For personal, classroom, and other internal use only. Not for publication.
