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Elasmobranchii (sharks and rays) > Rajiformes (Skates and rays) > Arhynchobatidae (Softnose skates)
Etymology: Bathyraja: Greek, bathys = deep + Latin, raja, -ae = a ray (Raja sp) (Ref. 45335).
More on authors: Müller & Henle.

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Marine; bathydemersal; depth range 440 - 1020 m (Ref. 5578). Deep-water; - 40°S

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

Southeast Atlantic: off central Namibia to Agulhas Bank, South Africa.

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: L_m ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 120 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 5578)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

A large softnose skate with a broadly triangular, bluntly pointed snout and an angular pectoral disc; tail shorter than body and with a single row of large thorns; upper disc of young with thorns but these are lost with growth (Ref. 5578). Dorsal surface greyish and may have white spots, ventral surface white with dark grey blotches around gill slits, vent and along ventral surface of tail (Ref. 5578). Tail with no color bands (Ref. 5578).

Found on the upper continental slope (Ref. 27121). A bottom-predator that feeds on bony fishes including hake, jacopever, barracudina and dragonet; also squid, octopus, crabs and prawns (Ref. 5578). Oviparous (Ref. 50449). Eggs have horn-like projections on the shell (Ref. 205). Sometimes caught by hake trawlers (Ref. 5578).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturities | Reproduction | Spawnings | Egg(s) | Fecundities | Larvae

Oviparous, paired eggs are laid. Embryos feed solely on yolk (Ref. 50449). Eggs have horn-like projections on the shell (Ref. 205).

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator : McEachran, John | Collaborators

McEachran, J.D. and K.A. Dunn, 1998. Phylogenetic analysis of skates, a morphologically conservative clade of elasmobranchs (Chondrichthyes: Rajidae). Copeia 1998(2):271-290. (Ref. 27314)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)

Least Concern (LC) ; Date assessed: 24 April 2018

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

Harmless

Human uses

FAO - Publication: search | FishSource |

More information

Trophic ecology
Food items
Diet compositions
Food consumptions
Food rations
Predators

Ecology
Ecology

Population dynamics
Growths
Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
Length-frequencies
Mass conversions
Recruitments
Abundances

Life cycle
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Maturities
Fecundities
Spawnings
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Egg(s)
Egg developments
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Larval dynamics

Distribution
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Anatomy
Gill areas
Brains
Otoliths

Physiology
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Nutrients
Oxygen consumptions
Swimming type
Swimming speeds
Visual pigment(s)
Fish sounds
Diseases / Parasites
Toxicities (LC50s)

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Genetics
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Stamps, coins, misc.

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References
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Internet sources

Estimates based on models

Preferred temperature (Ref. 123201): 4.6 - 11.8, mean 5.4 °C (based on 13 cells).

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804): PD₅₀ = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].

Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00513 (0.00253 - 0.01042), b=3.12 (2.95 - 3.29), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this Genus-body shape (Ref. 93245).

Trophic level (Ref. 69278): 4.3 ±0.67 se; based on food items.

Resilience (Ref. 120179): Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (Fec assumed to be <100).

Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153): High to very high vulnerability (72 of 100).

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