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Leucoraja melitensis (Clark, 1926)

Maltese ray
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Native range | All suitable habitat | Point map | Year 2050
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Leucoraja melitensis   AquaMaps   Data sources: GBIF OBIS
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Image of Leucoraja melitensis (Maltese ray)
Leucoraja melitensis
Picture by FAO

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; bathydemersal; depth range 60 - 800 m (Ref. 106604). Deep-water; 42°N - 36°N, 2°W - 16°E

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

Mediterranean Sea: endemic to the coasts of Tunisia, Malta and a single record from Italy; rare off Algeria.

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 52.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 125195); 45.0 cm TL (female)

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Feed on crustaceans mainly amphipods (Ref. 3167). 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). About 10-56 eggs are laid per individual annually (Ref. 41305, 41314).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Oviparous, paired eggs are laid. Embryos feed solely on yolk (Ref. 50449). Breeds throughout the year, but ripe females observed mainly in spring and autumn (Ref. 3167). 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: Version 2024-1)

  Critically Endangered (CR) (A2bcd+3bcd); Date assessed: 25 November 2014

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Harmless





Human uses

Fisheries: minor commercial
FAO - Publication: search | FishSource |

More information

Trophic ecology
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Summary page | Point data | Common names | Photos

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 | National databases | 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): 13.1 - 14.6, mean 14 °C (based on 23 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804):  PD50 = 0.5000   [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00229 (0.00142 - 0.00370), b=3.21 (3.07 - 3.35), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this species & Genus-body shape (Ref. 93245).
Trophic level (Ref. 69278):  3.3   ±0.53 se; based on food items.
Resilience (Ref. 120179):  Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (Fec=10).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153):  Moderate vulnerability (41 of 100).
Price category (Ref. 80766):   Medium.
Nutrients (Ref. 124155):  Calcium = 6.32 [0.98, 122.77] mg/100g; Iron = 0.346 [0.033, 4.702] mg/100g; Protein = 15.1 [13.0, 17.2] %; Omega3 = 0.455 [0.180, 1.150] g/100g; Selenium = 14.5 [2.5, 68.7] μg/100g; VitaminA = 5.07 [0.37, 64.27] μg/100g; Zinc = 0.329 [0.023, 3.815] mg/100g (wet weight);