Elasmobranchii (sharks and rays) >
Rajiformes (Skates and rays) >
Rajidae (Skates)
Etymology: Rajella: Latin, raja, -ae = a sting ray (Raja sp.) (Ref. 45335).
Environment / Climate / Range
Ecology
Marine; bathydemersal; depth range 170 - 2050 m (Ref. 3167), usually 300 - 800 m (Ref. 3167). Deep-water; 1°C - 7°C (Ref. 3167), preferred ?; 80°N - 45°N, 77°W - 37°E
Northeast Atlantic: Spitsbergen [=Svalbard] to southern Norway, southern Greenland, Iceland, Faeroe Islands to Shetlands, western coasts of British Isles and Bay of Biscay. Northwest Atlantic: Greenland to Nova Scotia, Canada.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 60.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 35388)
Short description
Morphology | Morphometrics
Snout is short and obtuse. Midbelt of its disc and upper surface of its tail are rough with large thorns in irregular rows. Upper surface ash gray to chocolate brown. Lower surface white, grayish white, pale gray or light fawn color, sooty patches on pelvic fins and axils of pectoral fins (Ref. 6902).
Found in deeper shelf and slope waters, in 3-5.5°C water temperature (6902). Benthic (Ref. 58426). Feed on all kinds of bottom animals with preference for invertebrates (Ref. 3167) like copepods, amphipods and mysids (Ref. 6902). 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 3.8-4.2 cm long and 2.4-2.6 cm wide (Ref. 41303, 41251, 41301).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Oviparous, paired eggs are laid. Embryos feed solely on yolk (Ref. 50449). Distinct pairing with embrace. Young may tend to follow large objects, such as their mother (Ref. 205).
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. 115185)
CITES (Ref. 94142)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: of no interest
More information
Age/SizeGrowthLength-weightLength-lengthLength-frequenciesMorphometricsMorphologyLarvaeLarval dynamicsRecruitmentAbundance
ReferencesAquacultureAquaculture profileStrainsGeneticsAllele frequenciesHeritabilityDiseasesProcessingMass conversion
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Estimates of some properties based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82805): PD
50 = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00309 (0.00140 - 0.00684), b=3.20 (3.02 - 3.38), in cm Total Length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic Level (Ref.
69278): 3.4 ±0.2 se; Based on diet studies.
Resilience (Ref.
69278): Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (Fec assumed to be <100).
Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Moderate to high vulnerability (47 of 100) .
