Bathyraja matsubarai (Ishiyama, 1952)
Dusky-purple skate
Bathyraja matsubarai
photo by Orlov, A.

Family:  Arhynchobatidae (Softnose skates)
Max. size:  126 cm TL (male/unsexed); max.weight: 11 kg
Environment:  bathydemersal; marine; depth range 120 - 2000 m
Distribution:  Northwest Pacific: off northern Japan (Ref. 559) and Sea of Okhotsk (Ref. 41724).
Diagnosis:  Differs from its congeners in having a dark purplish brown color at both sides of the body; eyeball as long as the spiracle; interorbital space smooth; clasper with deep cleft (Ref. 75535).
Biology:  Deep-sea species (Ref. 8630). Small individuals feed on crabs and annelids, while larger ones prey on fish and cephalopods (Ref. 27640). 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 10.9-11.3 cm long and 6.5-6.7 cm wide (Ref. 41249, 41253).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC); Date assessed: 29 August 2019 Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  harmless


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