Elasmobranchii (sharks and rays) >
Rajiformes (Skates and rays) >
Rajidae (Skates)
Etymology: Dipturus: Greek, di = two + Greek, pteryx = fin (Ref. 45335).
Eponymy: Gigas was a giant in Greek mythology, the child of Uranus and Gaea. The name is applied to taxa that are giants of their kind. (Ref. 128868), visit book page.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; bathydemersal; depth range 300 - 1000 m (Ref. 114953). Deep-water; 19°N - 37°N, 121°E - 142°E (Ref. 114953)
Northwest Pacific: Japan, the East China Sea, and the Philippines.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 186 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 114953)
Found on sand-mud bottoms of upper continental and insular slopes (Ref. 41299, Ref. 114953). Feed on invertebrates and bony fishes (Ref. 9908, Ref. 114953). 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 22.0-23.5 cm long and 14.0-14.5 cm wide (Ref. 41249, 41253). A male holotype reaches maturity at 135 cm TL, females at 115 cm TL (Ref. 114953).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Oviparous (Ref. 9908). Distinct pairing with embrace. Young may tend to follow large objects, such as their mother (Ref. 205).
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)
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Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature (Ref.
123201): 3.6 - 5.6, mean 4.6 °C (based on 132 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00282 (0.00131 - 0.00604), b=3.25 (3.08 - 3.42), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this Genus-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 4.0 ±0.62 se; based on food items.
Resilience (Ref.
120179): Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (Assuming fecundity<100).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Very high vulnerability (90 of 100).