Bathyraja taranetzi (Dolganov, 1983)
Mud skate
photo by Orlov, A.

Family:  Arhynchobatidae (Softnose skates)
Max. size:  70 cm TL (male/unsexed); 62.3 cm TL (female)
Environment:  bathydemersal; brackish; marine; depth range 58 - 1054 m
Distribution:  Northwest Pacific: Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands (unconfirmed report from the Gulf of Alaska); to Pacific coast of Kamchatka and northern Kuril Is.
Diagnosis:   
Biology:  Holotype taken from a depth between 405-420 m (Ref. 26282). 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 6.7 cm long and 4.7 cm wide (Ref. 41249).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC); Date assessed: 25 November 2014 Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  harmless


Source and more info: www.fishbase.org. For personal, classroom, and other internal use only. Not for publication.