The white-dotted skate (''Bathyraja albomaculata'') is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

skate Skate or Skates may refer to: Fish *Skate (fish), several genera of fish belonging to the family Rajidae * Pygmy skates, several genera of fish belonging to the family Gurgesiellidae * Smooth skates or leg skates, several genera of fish belongin ...

in the family

Arhynchobatidae Arhynchobatidae is a family of skates and is commonly known as the softnose skates. It belongs to the order Rajiformes in the superorder Batoidea of rays. At least 104 species have been described, in 13 genera. Softnose skates have at times been ...

. It is found in the south-western Atlantic off the coast of Uruguay, Argentina and the

Falkland Islands The Falkland Islands (; es, Islas Malvinas, link=no ) is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about east of South America's southern Patagonian coast and about from Cape Dubouzet ...

and uncommonly off Chile (

Guamblin Island __FORCETOC__ Guamblin Island, also known as Socorro Island, Nuestra Señora del Socorro, or Huamblin, is a Chilean island located in the Pacific Ocean. The island is designated as a National Park and is recognized as an Important Bird Area due t ...

) 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 Oviparous animals are animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive method of most fish, amphibians, most reptiles, and all pterosaurs, dinosaurs (including birds), and ...

. 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.

References

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white-dotted skate The white-dotted skate (''Bathyraja albomaculata'') 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 (Guamblin Is ...

Fish of Argentina Fish of Uruguay Fish of Chile Taxa named by John Roxborough Norman Southeastern South American coastal fauna

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