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Spiniraja whitleyi (Iredale, 1938)

Melbourne skate
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Spiniraja whitleyi   AquaMaps   Data sources: GBIF OBIS
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Image of Spiniraja whitleyi (Melbourne skate)
Spiniraja whitleyi
Picture by Graham, K.

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:

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

Marine; demersal; depth range 1 - 170 m (Ref. 6871). Temperate; 32°S - 44°S, 115°E - 153°E (Ref. 114953)

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

Eastern Indian Ocean: endemic to southern Australia.

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 200 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 114953)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal surface greyish or greyish brown with irregularly spaced white flecks, ventral surface cream or white, occasionally with greyish areas. Disc quadrangular, broader than long. Snout of moderate length, broadly rounded and knob-like at snout tip. Tail short, very depressed, broad; lateral skin folds prominent. A row of 1-5 thorns on nuchal and shoulder region, orbital and malar thorns absent. Alar thorns retractable. Tail with 1-3 rows of thorns, outer rows located near lateral margin.

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Most abundant in shallow water near shore (Ref. 6871). Found over soft bottom (Ref. 7300, 75154). Recorded to be found at 345 m depth (Ref. 114953). Diet mainly consists of crabs, octopuses and small bony fishes (Ref. 114953). Oviparous (Ref. 50449). Males reaches maturity at ca. 127 cm TL (Ref. 114953). Eggs have horn-like projections on the shell (Ref. 205). Egg cases ca. 22 cm long, hatch size at ca. 20 cm TL (Ref. 114953). Thorny tail can inflict a minor injury (Ref. 6871).

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

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

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

Last, P.R. and J.D. Stevens, 1994. Sharks and rays of Australia. CSIRO, Australia. 513 p. (Ref. 6871)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)

  Vulnerable (VU) (A2bd); Date assessed: 24 September 2020

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Traumatogenic (Ref. 6871)





Human uses

FAO - Publication: search | FishSource |

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Summary page | Point data | Common names | Photos

Internet sources

AFORO (otoliths) | Aquatic Commons | BHL | Cloffa | BOLDSystems | Websites from users | Check FishWatcher | CISTI | Catalog of Fishes: genus, species | DiscoverLife | ECOTOX | FAO - Publication: search | Faunafri | Fishipedia | Fishtrace | GenBank: genome, nucleotide | GloBI | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | IGFA World Record | MitoFish | Otolith Atlas of Taiwan Fishes | PubMed | Reef Life Survey | Socotra Atlas | Tree of Life | Wikipedia: Go, Search | World Records Freshwater Fishing | Zoological Record

Estimates based on models

Preferred temperature (Ref. 123201): 14 - 18.2, mean 16.3 °C (based on 139 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804):  PD50 = 1.0000   [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):  4.0   ±0.6 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):  Very high vulnerability (90 of 100).
Nutrients (Ref. 124155):  Calcium = 6.63 [1.27, 32.23] mg/100g; Iron = 0.262 [0.068, 0.736] mg/100g; Protein = 17.3 [14.6, 20.0] %; Omega3 = 0.728 [0.235, 2.708] g/100g; Selenium = 13.4 [3.9, 43.6] μg/100g; VitaminA = 10.1 [3.3, 32.6] μg/100g; Zinc = 0.335 [0.162, 0.594] mg/100g (wet weight);