Skates are cartilaginous fish belonging to the family Rajidae in the superorder Batoidea of rays. More than 150 species have been described, in 17 genera. Softnose skates and pygmy skates were previously treated as subfamilies of Rajidae, but are now considered as distinct families. Alternatively, the name "skate" is used to refer to the entire order of Rajiformes.
The Antarctic toothfish is a species of notothen native to the Southern Ocean. It is often mistakenly referred to as an Antarctic cod, consistent with the misnaming of other notothenioid Antarctic fish as rock cods. However, notothenioid fishes are not closely related to cods, which are in another taxonomic order, the Gadiformes. The generic name Dissostichus is from the Greek dissos (twofold) and stichus (line) and refers to the presence of two long lateral lines, which are very important to the species’ ecology. The common name "toothfish" refers to the presence of biserial dentition in the upper jaw, thought to give it a shark-like appearance. The habitat of the Antarctic toothfish is in subzero degree water below latitude 60°S.
Richardson's ray is a skate of the family Arhynchobatidae, found in the Atlantic Ocean and around Cook Strait in New Zealand, at depths of from 1,300 to 2,500 m. Their length can reach 1.75 m. Dorsal and ventral surfaces of the disc are uniformly covered with dermal denticles, but lack thorns on the disc. The tail has 18 moderately sized thorns.
Bathyraja is a large genus of skates in the family Arhynchobatidae.
The deepsea skate is a species of softnose skate, in the family Arhynchobatidae, found in deep water from 362 to 2,906 m, usually on the continental slope. They are distributed from off northern Baja California around Coronado Island and Cortes Bank, north to the Bering Sea, and west to Japan. It is fairly common below 1,000 m, and is taken as bycatch in deepwater trawls and traps. The species name abyssicola comes from the Greek abyssos meaning "bottomless", and cola meaning "living at depths".
The aguja skate is a species of skate in the family Arhynchobatidae. Little is known about this fish. It has not been collected since its discovery in the open seas off the coast of Peru in 1904.
Bathyraja maculata, the white-blotched skate, is a species of skate from the western North Pacific Ocean. An adult is approximately 1 meter in length, and is found at depths of up to 1 kilometer. 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.
Butterfly skate can refer to any of three species of skate:
Bathyraja mariposa, sometimes referred to as the butterfly skate, is a species of skate found in the Aleutian islands. It is overall a medium-brown color, lacks thorns on the disc and has indistinct thorns on the tail. It was discovered in 2002 during a National Marine Fisheries Service survey, and first described in 2004. The holotype specimen is held at the University of Washington. Its species name "mariposa" derives from the Spanish word for butterfly, although several other species are sometimes referred to as the "butterfly skate."
The white-dotted skate is a species of skate in the family Arhynchobatidae. It is found in the south-western Atlantic off the coast of Uruguay, Argentina and the Falkland Islands and uncommonly off Chile in the south-eastern Pacific Ocean, at depths ranging from 55 to 861 metres. Males reach maturity at the age of about 11 years and females about 10 years. At maturity the total length of males is about 62.8 cm and females 65.3 cm. The oldest reported specimen was 17 years old. The maximum length has been estimated to be almost one metre. It is oviparous. Egg capsules are oblong having horned corners, the horns at the back end appear first and are longer, and thinner than the front ones. Capsules are barrel-shaped, quite smooth, yellow-brown when freshly laid, but they get darker. Egg laying has been observed year-round, but most frequently in autumn and winter. The animal eats mainly benthopelagic gammarids and polychaetes and also isopods. Juvenile white-dotted skates eat mostly gammarid amphipods, while adults eat mostly polychaetes.
The Aleutian skate is a species of skate in the family Arhynchobatidae. It lives in depths ranging from 15 to 1602 meters in North Pacific Ocean from northern parts of Japan to the Aleutian Islands and southeastern Alaska. It has maximum total length of 161 centimeters. It is the most abundant species of the Bathyraja genus in the eastern Bering Sea slope and throughout the Gulf of Alaska. It is oviparous and produces oblong egg capsules with stiff horn in each corner. The embryo gets its nutrients from the yolk which is at first utilized for growth at a relatively constant rate but later in the development the yolk is absorbed rapidly.
Broadnose skate is a species of skate in the family Arhynchobatidae. This fish occurs on 28 to 604 meters, mostly at depths shallower than 250 meters, from Valdivia and Estrecho de Magallanes to Argentina and the Falkland Islands. It has the maximum total length of about 125 centimeters which it reaches in about 20 years. Both sexes reach maturity at age 8–10 years.
Bathyraja leucomelanos, commonly known as domino skate, is a species of softnose skate, closely related to Bathyraja spinicauda. The complete range is not known, however the holotype specimen of B. leucomelanos was caught on the Coriolis Bank, off western New Caledonia in 2002. The male holotype specimen measures 888 millimetres (35 in) total length and 608 mm (24 in) across the disc. Dorsal coloration is mostly white, with black on the disc and tail margins. Ventral coloration is black.
The Peruvian skate is a large skate found in the southeast Pacific Ocean, off the coasts of Peru, Ecuador, and Chile. It can grow to an estimated 1.1 metres total length, and 1.25 m across. It is known to be a deepwater species; the holotype was caught at a depth of 908 m (2,979 ft), and is generally found at depths of 600–1,100 m (2,000–3,600 ft). Very little is known about its biology.
The graytail skate, or gray tail skate, is a large species of skate in the family Arhynchobatidae, native to the south-western Atlantic Ocean and south-eastern Pacific Ocean. It is listed as endangered by the IUCN. It was caught as part of a commercial fishery around the Falkland Islands and is a bycatch in several other fisheries.
Bathyraja panthera, the leopard skate, is a species of cartilaginous fish in the family Arhynchobatidae. It was first described as a new species in 2011, having been discovered in the Aleutian Islands at depths between 50 to 258 m. It is a moderately large species with a short snout and wide mouth. The dorsal surface is pale greenish-brown, with speckling, round black spots and yellow blotches, giving it its specific name panthera from its resemblance to a leopard skin. It is an egg-bearing species, the eggs being enclosed in egg capsules with horns at the corners.
The blackfin poacher is a fish in the family Agonidae (poachers). It was described by Charles Henry Gilbert in 1890. It is a marine, boreal water-dwelling fish which is known from the northern Pacific Ocean, including Komandorski Island and Avachin Bay in Russia, St. Mathew Island in the Bering Sea, and Eureka, California, USA. It dwells at a depth range of 18–1290 metres, most often at around 400–700 m, and inhabits soft bottoms. It is known to live for a maximum of 9 years. Males can reach a maximum total length of 24.2 centimetres, but more commonly reach a TL of 20 cm.
The longnose deep-sea skate is a large skate in the family Arhynchobatidae. It was first described in 1985 from specimens collected near New Zealand. It is known to be a deep-water skate, however lack of research trawls at depths past 1500 meters limits knowledge of the depths where the species can be found. The species is dark brown or grey, with an eponymous elongated snout. The species has been measured to be a maximum of 140 cm in total length, although size variation and growth patterns are not known.
