Morphological Characters of the Thickbody Skate

Published online on 29. June 2012

Morphological Characters of the Thickbody Skate Amblyraja frerichsi (Krefft 1968) (Rajiformes: Rajidae), with Notes on Its Biology

Bustamante C, Lamilla J, Concha F, Ebert DA, Bennett MB

ABSTRACT:

Detailed descriptions of morphological features, morphometrics, neurocranium anatomy, clasper structure and egg case descriptions are provided for the thickbody skate Amblyraja frerichsi; a rare, deep-water species from Chile, Argentina and Falkland Islands. The species diagnosis is complemented from new observations and aspects such as colour, size and distribution are described. Geographic and bathymetric distributional ranges are discussed as relevant features of this taxońs biology. Additionally, the conservation status is assessed including bycatch records from Chilean fisheries.

PLoS ONE 7(6): e39963. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0039963

SOURCE ( Open Access Article )