Elasmobranchii (sharks and rays) >
Rajiformes (Skates and rays) >
Rajidae (Skates)
Etymology: Amblyraja: Greek, amblys = darkness + Latin, raja, -ae = ray (Raja sp.) (Ref. 45335).
Issue
Junior synonym of Amblyraja hyperborea according to Ref. 118749. This record wll be removed in the next update of FishBase.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; bathydemersal; depth range ? - 1350 m (Ref. 5578). Deep-water; 33°S - 34°S
Southeast Atlantic: off Cape Town, South Africa.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 77.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 5578)
Short description
Morphology | Morphometrics
A large skate with a stiff, bluntly triangular snout and a huge mouth almost equal to snout length; tail shorter than body, and disc smooth except for large star-based thorns around eyes, on shoulders and along midline of back and tail (Ref. 5578). Dark grey above and below with white blotches on underside (Ref. 5578).
Only one specimen collected (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). Eggs have horn-like projections on the shell (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. 120744)
CITES (Ref. 115941)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
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 = 0.5010 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00562 (0.00271 - 0.01168), b=3.13 (2.95 - 3.31), in cm Total Length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic Level (Ref.
69278): 4.1 ±0.3 se; Based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Resilience (Ref.
69278): Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (Fec assumed to be <100).
Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Moderate to high vulnerability (52 of 100) .