White-blotched skate

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White-blotched skate
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Class: Chondrichthyes
Subclass: Elasmobranchii
Superorder: Batoidea
Order: Rajiformes
Family: Rajidae
Genus: Bathyraja
Species: B. maculata
Binomial name
Bathyraja maculata
Ishiyama and Ishihara, 1977

The White-blotched skate (Bathyraja maculata) is a species of Skate from the western North Pacific.[1] An adult is approximately 1 meter in length, and is found at depths of up to 1 kilometer.[2] Unlike any other known member of the genus Bathyraja, the White-blotched skate has white blotches on a grey to brown dorsal surface, while the ventral side is lighter in color with darker blotches. Dorsal side is rough with spines, while the ventral side is smooth. [3]

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Bathyraja maculata". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. November 2007 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2007.
  2. ^ ZipcodeZoo.com. Bathyraja maculata (White-Blotched Skate). Retrieved on 2007-11-13.
  3. ^ Ishiyama, Reizo; Hajime Ishihara. "Five New Species of Skates in the Genus Bathyraja from the Western North Pacific, with Reference to Their Interspecific Relationships". Japanese Journal of Ichthyology 24 (2): 71–90. 
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