Elasmobranquios (tiburones y rayas) (sharks and rays) >
Rajiformes (Skates and rays) >
Rajidae (Skates)
Etymology: Leucoraja: Greek, leykos = white + Latin, raja = a fish, Raja sp. (Ref. 45335).
More on author: Mitchill.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / rango de profundidad / distribution range
Ecología
marino demersal; oceanodromo (Ref. 51243); rango de profundidad 4 - 723 m (Ref. 106604). Temperate; 51°N - 34°N, 79°W - 55°W (Ref. 55278)
Western Atlantic: Newfoundland Banks and southern Gulf of St. Lawrence in Canada to North Carolina, USA.
Length at first maturity / Tamaño / Peso / Age
Madurez: Lm 74.5, range 73 - 76 cm
Max length : 150 cm TL macho / no sexado; (Ref. 106604); edad máxima reportada: 21 años (Ref. 52109)
Short description
Claves de identificación | Morfología | Morfometría
Disk rounded, with many small dark spots on upper surface. Usually 1-4 ocelli on upper surface on each side of disk, each with a dark brownish center and pale edge. Young have long middorsal row of large spines on disk and tail. Upper jaw has 72 rows of teeth (Ref. 7251). Lower surface usually white but marked with irregular pale brownish blotches (Ref. 6902).
Body shape (shape guide): other.
Prefer sandy and gravelly bottoms in shoal water in the north range; to at least 90 m in south (Ref. 7251). Benthic (Ref. 5951). Much larger specimens (than 113 cm) of up to 150 cm were captured by the Fisheries Research Board of Canada off central and northern Nova Scotia from 1960 to 1971 (Ref. 131089). Those caught at Cans, Nova Scotia in Canada were found to have eaten dollarfish, cunner, and squid. Mostly inactive during daylight hours, but active under dark conditions (Ref. 10807). 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 5.5-9.9 cm long and 3.5-5.3 cm wide (Ref. 41249, 7135, 71301).
Electric organ discharge (EOD) activity seemed more frequent during dark periods (Ref. 10808). The individual EOD of this species is monophasic, head-negative, and lasts 217 ms (Ref. 10011). This species is used only for the manufacture of fish meal.
Life cycle and mating behavior
Madurez | Reproducción | Puesta | Huevos | Fecundidad | Larva
Oviparous, paired eggs are laid. Embryos feed solely on yolk (Ref. 50449). 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 2025-1)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Pesquerías: escaso valor comercial
Herramientas
Special reports
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Fuentes de Internet
Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature (Referencia
123201): 1.5 - 14.4, mean 7.9 °C (based on 130 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Referencia
82804): PD
50 = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00263 (0.00232 - 0.00298), b=3.24 (3.20 - 3.28), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this species (Ref.
93245).
Nivel trófico (Referencia
69278): 4.4 ±0.5 se; based on diet studies.
Resiliencia (Referencia
120179): Muy bajo, población duplicada en un tiempo mínimo superior a 14 años (tmax=20.8; tm=11-12; Fec assumed to be <100).
Prior r = 0.04, 95% CL = 0.02 - 0.05, Based on 1 full stock assessment.
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): High vulnerability (64 of 100).
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Nutrients (Ref.
124155): Calcium = 10.8 [2.1, 52.6] mg/100g; Iron = 0.305 [0.081, 0.865] mg/100g; Protein = 17.6 [14.8, 20.3] %; Omega3 = 0.877 [0.282, 3.251] g/100g; Selenium = 10.7 [2.7, 33.9] μg/100g; VitaminA = 13.1 [4.1, 41.9] μg/100g; Zinc = 0.315 [0.151, 0.571] mg/100g (wet weight);
