South Africa country information

Common names: Blancmange skate, Witpoeding-rog, Yellowspot skate
Occurrence: native
Salinity: marine
Abundance: common (usually seen) | Ref: Compagno, L.J.V., D.A. Ebert and M.J. Smale, 1989
Importance: | Ref:
Aquaculture: | Ref:
Regulations: | Ref:
Uses: no uses
Comments: Occurs throughout the coast. Caught by hake trawlers. Also Ref. 2708.
National Checklist:
Country Information: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/geos/sf.html
National Fisheries Authority:
Occurrences: Occurrences Point map
Main Ref: Compagno, L.J.V., D.A. Ebert and M.J. Smale, 1989
National Database:

Common names from other countries

Skate, Witpoeding-rog, 华氏鳐, ... more

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: Leucoraja: Greek, leykos = white + Latin, raja = a fish, Raja sp. (Ref. 45335).

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

Marine; brackish; bathydemersal; depth range 70 - 517 m (Ref. 106604). Deep-water

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

Southeast Atlantic and Western Indian Ocean: Lüderitz, Namibia round the Cape (South Africa) to southern Mozambique.

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: L_m ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 100.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 11284)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

A distinctive skate with bright yellow spots, often in rosettes and whorls and sometimes forming eye-like markings on pectoral bases (Ref. 5578). Snout short, broad and blunt, disc narrow, and tail longer than body; disc very rough with 2-4 rows of thorns from midback to 1st dorsal fin, and with broadly rounded corners (Ref. 5578). Yellowish brown above, white below; some grey-brown above with white spots (Ref. 5578).

Found in offshore areas on soft bottoms (Ref. 5578). Feed on bony fish and benthic invertebrates (Ref. 5578). 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 7.3 cm long and 4.2 cm wide (Ref. 41249). 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). Distinct pairing with embrace. Young may tend to follow large objects, such as their mother (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)

Vulnerable (VU) (A2bd); Date assessed: 01 August 2019

CITES (Ref. 128078)

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

Harmless

Human uses

Fisheries: of no interest

FAO(Publication : search) | FishSource |

More information

Trophic ecology
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Stamps, coins, misc.

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Check for Aquarium maintenance | Check for Species Fact Sheets | Check for Aquaculture Fact Sheets

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Summary page | Point data | Common names | Photos

Internet sources

Estimates based on models

Preferred temperature (Ref. 115969): 9.3 - 17.9, mean 11.3 (based on 65 cells).

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

Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00363 (0.00249 - 0.00530), b=3.25 (3.14 - 3.36), in cm Total Length, based on LWR estimates for this species & Genus-body shape (Ref. 93245).

Trophic level (Ref. 69278): 3.9 ±0.64 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 vulnerability (60 of 100).

Leucoraja wallacei (Hulley, 1970)