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: Rajella: Latin, raja, -ae = a sting ray (Raja sp.) (Ref. 45335).

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

Marine; bathydemersal; depth range 400 - 1640 m (Ref. 106604). Deep-water; 15°N - 34°S

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

Eastern Atlantic: off southern Rio de Oro in Western Sahara, Namibia, and South Africa. Probably occurs throughout the area along the deeper West African slope.

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: L_m ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 82.3 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 106604)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Moderately long snout, small eyes, and a flat disc; tail about as long as body; moderately large, inconspicuous light thorns dorsally and a few on snout; mid-dorsal line of thorns reduced in adolescents and adults (Ref. 5578). Whitish grey to dark grey dorsally, white ventrally with dark rear margins and dark patches on underside of tail (Ref. 5578).

Found in deeper slope waters (Ref. 4426). Feed on cephalopods, mysids and small bony fishes (Ref. 5578). 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, 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. 130435: Version 2024-1)

Least Concern (LC) ; Date assessed: 31 August 2020

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

Harmless

Human uses

Fisheries: of no interest

FAO - Publication: search | FishSource |

More information

Trophic ecology
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Ecology
Ecology

Population dynamics
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Length-weight rel.
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Life cycle
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Distribution
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Anatomy
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Summary page | Point data | Common names | Photos

Internet sources

Estimates based on models

Preferred temperature (Ref. 123201): 3.3 - 6.6, mean 4.3 °C (based on 24 cells).

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804): PD₅₀ = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].

Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00288 (0.00176 - 0.00472), b=3.29 (3.16 - 3.42), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this species & (Sub)family-body (Ref. 93245).

Trophic level (Ref. 69278): 4.0 ±0.53 se; based on food items.

Resilience (Ref. 120179): Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (Fec assumed to be <100).

Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153): Moderate to high vulnerability (53 of 100).

Rajella dissimilis (Hulley, 1970)