Pavoraja nitida (Günther, 1880)
Peacock skate
photo by Graham, K.

Family:  Arhynchobatidae (Softnose skates)
Max. size:  36.8 cm TL (male/unsexed)
Environment:  demersal; marine; depth range 30 - 390 m
Distribution:  Eastern Indian Ocean: endemic to Australia (South Australia to New South Wales).
Diagnosis:   
Biology:  Occur over soft bottoms of the continental shelf (Ref. 7300, 75154). 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 5.7 cm long and 3.8-4.4 cm wide (Ref. 41308). Both sexes reaches maturity at ca. 30-33 cm TL; hatch size at ca. 8 cm TL. Biology poorly known. Discarded bycatch of local trawl fisheries (Ref. 114953).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC); Date assessed: 15 May 2015 Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  harmless


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