Rostroraja eglanteria

Rostroraja eglanteria (Bosc, 1800)
Clearnose skate

photo by Flescher, D.

Family:	Rajidae (Skates)
Max. size:	84 cm TL (male/unsexed)
Environment:	demersal; brackish; marine; depth range 0 - 330 m, oceanodromous
Distribution:	Western Atlantic: Massachusetts to southern Florida (USA) and eastern Gulf of Mexico. Also northern Gulf of Mexico (Ref. 26938).
Diagnosis:	Small skate, with irregular darker spots and bars on dorsal surface. Translucent area on each side of mid-dorsal ridge on snout (Ref. 26938). Single row of thorns along the midridge of the back (Ref. 6902). Disk with dark brown bars and streaks and some spots. Front edges nearly straight or slightly concave (Ref. 7251).
Biology:	Found from saltwater parts of estuaries and bays of 330 m (Ref. 26938). Inhabit inshore areas. Prefer waters of 10°-21°C. Feed mainly on decapod crustaceans, bivalves, polychaetes, squids and fishes (Ref. 3824). Breed while inshore (Ref. 6902). Oviparous. Distinct pairing with embrace. Young may tend to follow large objects, such as their mother (Ref. 205). Eggs are oblong capsules with stiff pointed horns at the corners deposited in sandy or muddy flats (Ref. 205). Egg capsules are 5.1-8.9 cm long and 3.8-5.7 cm wide (Ref. 41249, 41307, 41301, 41358).
IUCN Red List Status:	Least Concern (LC); Date assessed: 20 June 2019 Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:	harmless

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