Small-eyed ray
📖 Overview
Found on sandy bottoms, from inshore waters to about 100 m in tidal areas . Feed on fishes . Oviparous. Distinct pairing with embrace. Young may tend to follow large objects, such as their mother . Eggs are oblong capsules with stiff pointed horns at the corners deposited in sandy or muddy flats . Egg capsules are 6.6-10.0 cm long and 4.1-6.3 cm wide . About 54-61 eggs are laid by an individual in a year .
🔬 Taxonomy
🐟 Physical Description
Dorsal spines (total): 0; Anal spines: 0. Eyes conspicuously small; dorsal fins close-set, no thorns between; upper surface predominantly spinulose, underside almost smooth in young, but head and centre of disc prickly in larger specimens; orbital thorns separate, a regular row of about 50 thorns from nape to first dorsal fin; upper surface greyish, olive to light brown with light blotches and long bands, underside white .: other; Cross section: flattened.
🌀 Behaviour
Behavioural data for Small-eyed ray is currently being reviewed.
🦐 Diet
🥚 Reproduction
Oviparous . Paired eggs are laid. Embryos feed solely on yolk . Distinct pairing with embrace. Young may tend to follow large objects, such as their mother .
🌍 Habitat & Distribution
Marine; demersal; depth range ? - 100 m . Temperate; 55°N - 24°N, 16°W - 1°W Northeast Atlantic, from the British Isles southwards to Gibraltar and north-western Africa (Western Sahara and Mauritania).
🌿 Ecology
fishes (Ref
📐 Morphometrics
🌡️ Water Parameters & Tolerance
🛡️ Conservation Assessment
📊 Population Risk & Fisheries
🎣 Angling Guide
- medium-heavy 7ft spinning rod
- 30-50 lb braid
- fluorocarbon leader
- grass flats
- oyster bars
- marsh drains
- deeper channel edges
Use barbless hooks, minimise air exposure, and revive fish head-first in current before release.
⚠️ Slot limits protect breeding-size fish. Verify daily bag limits.
📊 Population Dynamics
| Year | Region | Index | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| - | - | - |
🌐 Names & Taxonomy
| Language | Common Names |
|---|---|
| 🇬🇧English | Owl ray · Painted ray · Small-eyed Ray · Smalleyed Ray · Smalleyed Skate |
| 🌍BRE | rea lagadou bihen · rea roannes |
| 🌍CYM | morgath lygaid-bach · Morgathod Llygaid-Bach |
| 🇩🇰Danish | Småøjet rokke |
| 🇩🇪German | hellfleckiger Roche · hellfleckiger Rochen · Kleinäugiger Rochen |
| 🇫🇮Finnish | Palettirausku |
| 🇫🇷French | raie aux petits yeux · Raie mêlee |
| 🇮🇹Italian | Razza |
| 🌍LIT | šlakuotoji raja |
| 🇳🇱Dutch | Kleinoogrog |
| 🌍NOB | Småøyet skate |
| 🇵🇱Polish | Raja drobnooka |
| 🇵🇹Portuguese | Paia-zimbreira · Raia-zimbreira |
| 🇷🇺Russian | ромбовый скат |
| 🇪🇸Spanish | Raia colorada · Raya · raya bastarda · raya cimbreira · Raya colorada · Raya de ojos |
| 🌍SRP | Raza |
| 🇸🇪Swedish | Småögd rocka |
| 🌍TUR | küçük gözlü vatoz |
| 🌍UKR | Скат дрібноплямистий |
🔍 Similar Species
🗺️ Global Occurrence Map
Occurrence records from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) - 7 records indexed .
👥 Community & Contribute
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