Myliobatis californica
Bat Ray
Collection Details
Specimens
Photos
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Chondrichthyes (Cartilaginous Fishes)
Myliobatiformes (Stingrays)
Myliobatidae (Eagle Rays)
Myliobatis
Myliobatis californica (Bat Ray)
Description
This species account was compiled from
FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2025. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, version 04/2025.)
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Characters
Body shape: other.
Distribution
Eastern Pacific: Oregon, USA to Gulf of California (Ref. 2850) and the Galapagos Islands (Ref. 28023).
Habitat Associations
Marine. demersal. depth range 0-108 m.
Biology
Commonly found in sandy and muddy bays and sloughs, also on rocky bottom and in kelp beds (Ref. 2850). Sometimes buries itself in sand (Ref. 2850). Found singly or in schools (Ref. 12951). Feeds on bivalves, snails, polychaetes, shrimps, and crabs (Ref. 9257). Ovoviviparous (Ref. 50449). Venomous spine on tail. Not fished commercially, but shows up as by-catch species (Ref. 9257).
Max length: 180.0 cm WD; common length: 100.0 cm WD; max weight: 82100 g.
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: internal (oviduct); bearers (internal live bearers). Exhibit ovoviparity (aplacental viviparity), with embryos feeding initially on yolk, then receiving additional nourishment from the mother by indirect absorption of uterine fluid enriched with mucus, fat or protein through specialised structures (Ref. 50449).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2014-09-13. Resilience: Low (tm=3; tmax=23; k=0.09-0.22).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: commercial; gamefish; aquarium: public aquariums.
References
Breder, C.M. and D.E. Rosen (1966) Modes of reproduction in fishes. T.F.H. Publications, Neptune City, New Jersey. 941 p.
Eschmeyer, W.N., E.S. Herald and H. Hammann (1983) A field guide to Pacific coast fishes of North America. Boston (MA, USA): Houghton Mifflin Company. xii+336 p.
Talent, L.G. (1982) Food habits of the gray smoothhound, Mustelus californicus, the brown smoothhound, Mustelus henlei, the shovelnose guitarfish, Rhinobatos productus, and the bat ray, Myliobatis californica, in Elkhorn Slough, California. Calif. Fish Game 68(4):224-234.
McEachran, J.D. and G. Notarbartolo di Sciara (1995) Myliobatidae. Aguilas marinas. p. 765-768. In W. Fischer, F. Krupp, W. Schneider, C. Sommer, K.E. Carpenter and V. Niem (eds.) Guia FAO para Identification de Especies para los Fines de la Pesca. Pacifico Centro-Oriental. 3 Vols. FAO, Rome.
Love, M.S., C.W. Mecklenburg, T.A. Mecklenburg and L.K. Thorsteinson (2005) Resource inventory of marine and estuarine fishes of the West Coast and Alaska: A checklist of North Pacific and Arctic Ocean species from Baja California to the Alaska-Yukon border. U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, Biological Resources Division, Seattle, Washington, 98104.
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