South Africa country information

Common names: [No common name]
Occurrence: native
Salinity: marine
Abundance: | Ref:
Importance: | Ref:
Aquaculture: | Ref:
Regulations: | Ref:
Uses: no uses
Comments: Ranges from the west coast to Algoa Bay (common). Caught by hake trawlers. Also Ref. 4426, 11228, 11284.
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, 豹纹鳐, Leopard-väikerai, ... 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: Rajella: Latin, raja, -ae = a sting ray (Raja sp.) (Ref. 45335).

Issue
Specific name amended to R. leoparda in accordance with ICZN Article 34.2 by Weigmann et al., 2014 (Ref.96993).

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

Marine; bathydemersal; depth range 130 - 1920 m (Ref. 106604). Deep-water; - 36°S

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

Eastern Atlantic: off eastern and western South Africa to off Mauritania

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: L_m ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 95.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 106604)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Large skate with a moderately long snout, small eyes, and a flat disc; tail about as long as body; small inconspicuous, light thorns on upper surface including snout (Ref. 5578). Medium grey to brownish dorsally, often with dark spots; white or mottled with dusky patches ventrally (Ref. 5578).

Found in deeper shelf and slope waters (Ref. 4426). Feed on bottom crustaceans, dragonets, rattails, hake, lanternfish, sea pens, cuttlefish and polychaete worms (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 7.4 cm long and 7.4 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)

Least Concern (LC) ; Date assessed: 31 August 2020

CITES (Ref. 128078)

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

Harmless

Human uses

Fisheries: commercial

FAO(Publication : search) | FishSource |

More information

Trophic ecology
Food items
Diet compositions
Food consumptions
Food rations
Predators

Ecology
Ecology
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Population dynamics
Growths
Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
Length-frequencies
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Abundances

Life cycle
Reproduction
Maturities
Fecundities
Spawnings
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Egg(s)
Egg developments
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Distribution
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BRUVS - Videos

Anatomy
Gill areas
Brains
Otoliths

Physiology
Body compositions
Nutrients
Oxygen consumptions
Swimming type
Swimming speeds
Visual pigment(s)
Fish sounds
Diseases / Parasites
Toxicities (LC50s)

Genetics
Genetics
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Human related
Aquaculture systems
Aquaculture profiles
Strains
Ciguatera cases
Stamps, coins, misc.

Outreach
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Taxonomy
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References
References

Tools

Special reports

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): 4.1 - 11.9, mean 6.9 (based on 47 cells).

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

Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00309 (0.00191 - 0.00501), b=3.33 (3.20 - 3.46), in cm Total Length, based on LWR estimates for this species & (Sub)family-body (Ref. 93245).

Trophic level (Ref. 69278): 3.9 ±0.63 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 (58 of 100).

Price category (Ref. 80766): Medium.

Rajella leoparda (von, Bonde & Swart, 1923)