Raja eglanteria
Clearnose Skate
NS
GNR
Collection Details
Specimens
Photos
There are no photos available for this taxon yet.
Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Chondrichthyes (Cartilaginous Fishes)
Rajiformes (Skates)
Rajidae (Skates)
Raja
Raja eglanteria (Clearnose Skate)
Description
This species account was compiled from
McEachran & Fechhelm (McEachran, J.D. and J.D. Fechhelm. Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico. University of Texas Press, Austin.)
and processed using AI-assisted text extraction.
It may contain errors in spelling, punctuation, or formatting.
When citing, please reference the original source rather than this page.
Learn more about our species accounts.
Characters
Spade-shaped disc, moderately long and slightly obtuse snout, moderately wide tail, preorbital length 14% to 15% of TL, snout angle 90° to 100°, pectoral radials extend slightly anterior to midlength of snout, mouth slightly arched on either side of symphysis, 46 to 54 tooth rows in upper jaw, oronasal pit absent, anterior lobe of pelvic fin connected to posterior lobe by fin membrane and about 50% of length of posterior lobe, lateral margin of disc moderately incised, tail 49% to 52% of TL with lateral folds extending nearly entire length, dorsal fins of similar size and shape, separated by interspace equal to one-third of first dorsal fin base length, caudal fin poorly developed with moderately short and low dorsal lobe, dorsal surface with dermal denticles, medium-sized thorns on neurocranium, larger thorns on scapular region and along midline, irregular row of thorns on tail, ventral surface naked except for dermal denticles on snout and anterior margin
Brown to gray dorsally with darker brown spots, transverse and diagonal bars, and lighter spots, whitish to yellowish ventrally
Distribution
Western North Atlantic from Massachusetts (occasionally Gulf of Maine) to northern Florida and northern Gulf of Mexico
Northern Gulf of Mexico, more common east than west of the Mississippi River
Habitat Associations
Shore zone to 119 m depth
Biology
Polychaetes, amphipods, shrimps, crabs, and bony fishes
Maximum known size is 785 mm TL
Males mature at 535 to 770 mm TL, females mature at 600 to 780 mm TL, young are 125 to 144 mm TL at hatching
References
Bigelow and Schroeder 1953
Fitz and Daiber 1963
Robinson 1969
McEachran and Musick 1975
Hoese and Moore 1977
C. R. Robins et al. 1986
Comments On Raja eglanteria