Common names
Raya a lunares, Ray, Spotback skate, Arraia-chita, Arraia-pintada, Chita, Raia-chita, Raia-pintada

Short Description
Diagonis after LAST, STEHMANN, SÉRET & WEIGMANN, 2016 [24749]: Large skate with a rough rhombic disc, snout moderately elongate, small eyes, no orbital thorns, no nuchal or shoulder thorns, single thorn row on tail, densely dark-spotted upper surface, and undersurface of head much darker than posterior disc. Disc anterior margins undulate, deeply concave in adult males; apices narrowly rounded to abruptly angular. Snout pointed, with small lobe at tip, soft and flexible vertically due to delicate rostral cartilage; anterior pectoral radials extending nearly to snout tip. Upper disc completely prickly to touch, entirely covered with coarse denticles; ventral surface entirely smooth. Thorns of median row 15-21, evenly spaced, confined to tail; alar thorn patch of adult male long and narrow, no malar thorns. Tail slender, rounded, barely tapering, length subequal to or slightly longer than precloacal length; lateral folds narrow. Two small rounded dorsal fins, well separated, with up to 4 thorns in interspace; caudal fin short and rather tall; procaudal length exceeding prespiracular length. Pelvic fin weakly notched, posterior lobe large; clasper rather robust, almost reaching first dorsal fin. COLOUR. Dorsal surface dark brownish to yellowish brown, with strong pattern of small, reddish or blackish, circular spots over disc and pelvic fins. Undersurface of anterior disc greyish, strongly contrasted with largely whitish posterior disc; sensory and mucous pores distinct, white or marked as black dots and streaks.

Distribution
Southwest Atlantic: northern Argentina to southern Brazil [24749] Source: www.gbif.org

Human uses
fisheries: of no interest

Biology
Oviparous, paired eggs are laid. Embryos feed solely on yolk [733]. Distinct pairing with embrace. Young may tend to follow large objects, such as their mother [17086].

Size / Weight / Age
TL (max): ~147 cm TL; TL (mature): male: 91-100 cm, female: 106-114 TL, Egg cases: 9-12 cm long, young hatch at ~17 cm TL [24749]

Habitat
demersal; marine; depth range - 220 m [24749]

Remarks
shark-references Species-ID=470;

Parasites (arranged by Jürgen Pollerspöck)
Myxosporea

• Chloromyxum atlantoraji Cantatore, Irigoitia,Holzer, Bartosova-Sojkova, Peckova, Fiala & Timi, 2018 [26747]

Monogenea

• Calicotyle quequeni (Szidat, 1972) Timofeeva, 1985 [17436] [22565]
• Empruthotrema orashken Irigoitia, Braicovich, Rossin, Canel, Levy, Farber & Timi, 2019 [27765]

Cestoda

• Acanthobothrium marplatensis Ivanov & Campbell, 1998 [16326] [25154] [28741] [31906]
• Dollfusiella acuta Menoret & Ivanov, 2015 [23434] [25154] [31906]
• Notomegarhynchus navonae Ivanov & Campbell, 2002 [7599] [25154] [31906] [31742]

Nematoda

• Procamallanus pereirai Annereaux, 1946 [10102]
• Pseudanisakis argentinensis Irigoitia, Braicovich, Farber & Timi, 2017 [25303]
• Pseudoterranova cattani George-Nascimento & Urrutia, 2000 [25958]
• Raphidascaris sp. [10102]

Copepoda

• Brianella corniger Wilson, 1915 [24671]
• Kroeyerina sudamericana Irigoitia, Cantatore, Incorvaia & Timi, 2016 [24671]