Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Elasmobranchii (sharks and rays) > Rajiformes (Skates and rays) > Rajidae (Skates)
Etymology: Rajella: Latin, raja, -ae = a sting ray (Raja sp.) (Ref. 45335).

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

Marine; bathydemersal; depth range 496 - 1477 m (Ref. 106604). Deep-water

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

Southeast Atlantic: known only from the three type specimens collected from off the west coast of South Africa and one record from off Morocco.

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: L_m ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 79.2 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 106604)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Long snout, small eyes, and a thick disc; tail about as long as body; moderate-sized conspicuous light thorns in 2 prominent rows from shoulders to 1st dorsal fin, no or few mid-dorsal thorns, and no thorns on snout (Ref. 5578). Medium grey to purplish-brown dorsally, white ventrally but dusky on disc margins, around vent and on underside of tail (Ref. 5578).
Body shape (shape guide): other.

Inhabits the upper slope (Ref. 5578). Minimum depth reported taken from Ref. 5578. Oviparous (Ref. 50449). Eggs have horn-like projections on the shell (Ref. 205).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Oviparous, paired eggs are laid. Embryos feed solely on yolk (Ref. 50449).

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: Version 2024-2)

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

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

Harmless

Human uses

Fisheries: bycatch

FAO - Publication: search | FishSource |

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Summary page | Point data | Common names | Photos

Internet sources

Estimates based on models

Preferred temperature (Ref. 123201): 3.8 - 7.9, mean 6 °C (based on 59 cells).

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

Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00302 (0.00141 - 0.00645), b=3.24 (3.07 - 3.41), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref. 93245).

Trophic level (Ref. 69278): 3.7 ±0.5 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives

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

Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153): Moderate to high vulnerability (52 of 100). 🛈

Price category (Ref. 80766): Medium.

Rajella ravidula (Hulley, 1970)