Spotted ray
Spotted ray | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Chondrichthyes |
Order: | Rajiformes |
Family: | Rajidae |
Genus: | Raja |
Species: | R. montagui
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Binomial name | |
Raja montagui Fowler, 1910
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Synonyms[2] | |
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The spotted ray or spotted skate (Raja montagui) is a species of skate in the family Rajidae.[3][4]
Distribution[]
The spotted ray mostly lives in the waters around Great Britain and Ireland, occasionally ranging south to the Mediterranean.[5]
Description[]
Like all rays, the spotted ray has a flattened body with broad, wing-like pectoral fins. The body is sub-rhomboid. The dorsum is brown with dark spots.
Its maximum length is 80 cm (2.6 ft), making it one of the smallest skates.[6]
Behaviour[]
The spotted ray buries itself in sand to ambush prey and avoid predators. It mainly feeds on crustaceans, polychaetes, teleosts and molluscs.[5][7]
Life cycle[]
Spotted rays are oviparous with eggs laid in summer. The pups hatch fully formed, about 11.5 cm (4.5 in) long, after 5 or 6 months.[7]
See also[]
- Fish of the Atlantic Ocean
- Fish of the Mediterranean Sea
References[]
- ^ "IUCN | Raja montagui". www.iucn.it.
- ^ "Raja montagui". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
- ^ "Bilješke". Institut za oceanografiju i ribarstvo - Split. June 27, 1974 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Changes in the North Sea Ecosystem and Their Causes: Århus 1975 Revisited : Proceedings of an ICES International Symposium Held in Århus, Denmark, 11-14 July 1995". International Council for the Exploration of the Sea. June 27, 1996 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b "MarLIN - The Marine Life Information Network - Spotted Ray (Raja montagui)". www.marlin.ac.uk.
- ^ "Spotted ray | The Wildlife Trusts". www.wildlifetrusts.org.
- ^ a b "Raja montagui, Spotted ray : fisheries". www.fishbase.se.
External links[]
- Data related to Raja montagui at Wikispecies
- Fishbase Database: Raja montagui
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Raja montagui. |
Categories:
- IUCN Red List least concern species
- Raja (fish)
- Fish of the East Atlantic
- Fish of the Mediterranean Sea
- Fish of the North Sea
- Fish described in 1910