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: Malacoraja: Greek, malakos = soft + Latin, raja, -ae = ray, fis (Raja sp.) (Ref. 45335).
More on author: Barnard.

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

Marine; bathydemersal; depth range 450 - 1570 m (Ref. 117245). Deep-water; 67°N - 38°S, 72°W - 25°E

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

Eastern Atlantic: Baffin Bay-Davis Strait Offshore to Iceland-Faeroe Ridge, off northwest Africa (Rio de Oro), off southern Namibia and South Africa.

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: L_m ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 70.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 4426)

Short description Morphology | Morphometrics

Very broad, almost pentagonal disc, light above and abruptly dark below; snout bluntly pointed with a flexible tip, eyes small and close together, and a disc with broadly rounded rear margins and tips (Ref. 5578). Small juveniles with and adults without thorns and covered only with small denticles (Ref. 5578). Slate-grey or greyish-brown above except rear margins of pectoral and pelvic fins and claspers of adult males which are dark brown; dark brown below, sometimes with light blotches (Ref. 5578). Lack of large thorns on its disc posterior to the scapular region (Ref. 6902).

A very rare species inhabiting continental slopes and probably down to the abyssal plains (Ref. 3167). Benthic (Ref. 58426). Adults usually at depths greater than 1,500 m while juveniles are mainly taken from about 450 m downward (Ref. 4426). Minimum depth reported taken from Ref. 4426. Feeds on crustaceans (Ref. 58426). 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 (Ref. 3167). Paired eggs are laid. Embryos feed solely on yolk (Ref. 50449).

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. 126983)

Least Concern (LC) ; Date assessed: 20 June 2019

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

Harmless

Human uses

FAO - Publication: search | FishSource |

More information

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Internet sources

Malacoraja spinacidermis (Barnard, 1923)