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Tetronarce californica (Ayres, 1855)

Pacific electric ray
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Tetronarce californica   AquaMaps   Data sources: GBIF OBIS
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Image of Tetronarce californica (Pacific electric ray)
Tetronarce californica
Picture by Canadian Museum of Nature, Ottawa, Canada

Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Elasmobranchii (sharks and rays) > Torpediniformes (Electric rays) > Torpedinidae (Electric rays)
Etymology: californica: Named after the state of California (Ref. 6885).
More on author: Ayres.

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

Marine; demersal; depth range 0 - 906 m (Ref. 96339), usually 3 - 200 m (Ref. 55307). Temperate; 48°N - 23°N, 126°W - 110°W (Ref. 55307)

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

Eastern Pacific: Dixon Entrance, British Columbia, Canada to Sebastian Vizcaino Bay, Baja California, Mexico. Electric rays off Peru, Chile, and Japan may belong to this species (Ref. 2850).

Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm ?, range 73 - ? cm
Max length : 140 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 12951); 137.0 cm TL (female); common length : 91.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 43939); common length :137 cm TL (female); max. published weight: 0.00 g; max. reported age: 16 years (Ref. 48844)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Gray with scattered black spots dorsally, no ocelli. 1st dorsal fin much larger than 2nd. Spiracle margin smooth and without papillae.

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Found on the outer continental shelf, around rocks, in kelp beds, over fine sand bottoms or buried in sand. Solitary, nomadic, and can remain suspended in the water with minimal swimming (Ref. 12951). Feeds on bony fishes, mainly herrings and halibuts. Ovoviviparous (Ref. 50449). Produces litters of up to 17 pups. Males reaches maturity at ca. 65 cm TL, females at ca. 73 cm TL (Ref. 114953). Attacks their prey from the substratum by day and actively forage at night with the aid of its electric organ discharge or EOD (Ref. 10011). The EOD of a large individual was measured at 50 V; with a low internal organ resistance the power output exceeded 1 kW (Ref. 10480). Aggressive when provoked but no human has yet been injured by the electric shock (Ref. 2850). Does not do well in aquariums (Ref. 12951).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturities | Reproduction | Spawnings | Egg(s) | Fecundities | Larvae

Exhibit ovoviparity (aplacental viviparity), with embryos feeding initially on yolk, then receiving additional nourishment from the mother by indirect absorption of uterine fluid enriched with mucus, fat or protein through specialised structures (Ref. 50449). Reproductive cycle appears to be annual in males and biannual in females (Ref. 48844). No defined birthing season (Ref. 48844).

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator : Carvalho, Marcelo | Collaborators

Allen, M.J. and G.B. Smith, 1988. Atlas and zoogeography of common fishes in the Bering Sea and northeastern Pacific. NOAA Tech. Rep. NMFS 66, 151 p. (Ref. 6793)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)

  Least Concern (LC) ; Date assessed: 05 January 2015

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

Other (Ref. 13513)





Human uses

FAO - Publication: search | FishSource |

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Trophic ecology
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Internet sources

AFORO (otoliths) | Aquatic Commons | BHL | Cloffa | BOLDSystems | Websites from users | Check FishWatcher | CISTI | Catalog of Fishes: genus, species | DiscoverLife | ECOTOX | FAO - Publication: search | Faunafri | Fishipedia | Fishtrace | GenBank: genome, nucleotide | GloBI | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | IGFA World Record | MitoFish | OceanAdapt | Otolith Atlas of Taiwan Fishes | PubMed | Reef Life Survey | Socotra Atlas | Tree of Life | Wikipedia: Go, Search | World Records Freshwater Fishing | Zoological Record

Estimates based on models

Preferred temperature (Ref. 123201): 8.6 - 22.3, mean 12.8 °C (based on 100 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804):  PD50 = 0.5001   [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.01479 (0.00659 - 0.03318), b=2.97 (2.78 - 3.16), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref. 93245).
Trophic level (Ref. 69278):  4.5   ±0.80 se; based on food items.
Resilience (Ref. 120179):  Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (Fec = 17; tm=9; tmax=16).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153):  Very high vulnerability (79 of 100).