Starry ray

📖 Overview

Eurybathic, eurythermic and benthic . Cold temperate species found in offshore waters on all kinds of bottoms , mainly sandy and muddy . In the northeast Atlantic most common between 50-100 m depth at temperatures of 2-5 °C . Some seasonal migrations have been reported from the western Atlantic . Migration experiments showed that 85 % of tagged individuals remained within 93 km of the release site, with longest distance travelled at 180 km . Feed mainly on fish, crustaceans and polychaete worms , but also on hydroids, molluscs, cephalopods and echinoderms ; known to be a scavenger . Diet changes with increasing body size . Different populations of starry rays mature at different ages and sizes . Oviparous . Maturity size varies from 44-90 cm TL. Young hatch at ca. 8-12 cm TL . Young may tend to follow large objects, such as their mother . Rarely reaches 60 cm in the North Sea . Able to detect weak electric fields generated by potential prey organisms and may also generate its own weak electric fields . Probably taken by hake trawlers . Few are dried and salted in Iceland . It is a common Skate whose landings are converted to fish-meal . It has been mentioned that North American specimens grow to a larger size than East-Atlantic specimens (Arve Lynghammar, pers.comm., 11/09).

🔬 Taxonomy

🐟 Physical Description

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Anal spines: 0. Adults are rhomboid in shape, young are rounder . Short, stiff, bluntly triangular snout; tail shorter than body . Upper surface very rough, with solid thornlets scattered all over disc and tail, underside smooth, except for some prickles on snout; a constant pattern of separate orbital thorns, a regular row of 13-17 large thorns from nape to first dorsal fin ; large, close-set thorns with star-shaped bases at upper disc . Coloration highly variable; brownish grey with scattered irregular black blotches dorsally; white ventrally; with darker spots and blotches on tail and pelvic fins; black spot on tip of tail .: other.

🌀 Behaviour

Behavioural data for Starry ray is currently being reviewed.

🦐 Diet

🥚 Reproduction

Distinct pairing with embrace. Oviparous, laying 10-45 egg cases each year . Eggs are oblong capsules with stiff pointed horns at the corners deposited in sandy or muddy flats . Egg capsules are 3.4-8.9 cm long and 2.3-6.8 cm wide . Paired eggs are laid. Embryos feed solely on yolk . In the North Sea, fully formed individuals hatch after 4 months and pups are about 8-11 cm in length . In the Barents Sea, low water temperature may lengthen embryonic development time to 2.5-3 years .

🌍 Habitat & Distribution

Marine; brackish; demersal; oceanodromous ; depth range 5 - 1540 m , usually 25 - 440 m . Boreal; -1°C - 14°C ; 79°N - 38°N, 95°W - 54°E North Atlantic and adjacent Arctic.

🌿 Ecology

📐 Morphometrics

🌡️ Water Parameters & Tolerance

🛡️ Conservation Assessment

📊 Population Risk & Fisheries

🎣 Angling Guide

📊 Population Dynamics

🌐 Names & Taxonomy

Scientific Synonyms

🐠 Related Species

🔍 Similar Species

🗺️ Global Occurrence Map

Occurrence records from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) - 53 records indexed .

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