Elasmobranchii (sharks and rays) > Rajiformes
(Skates and rays) > Rajidae
Etymology: Dactylobatus: Greek, daktyleys, -eos = a kind of grey mullet + Greek, batis = a kind of ray (Ref. 45335); armatus: dáctylos, Greek, means finger or fin-ray; bátis mean ray. Latin armatus means armed. .
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Marine; bathydemersal; depth range 300 - 900 m (Ref. 80663), usually 300 - 700 m (Ref. 80663). Deep-water; 35°N - 35°S, 30°W - 98°W
Western Central Atlantic: South Carolina, USA to the Gulf of Mexico and along Central America to Venezuela. Also found on middle continental slope off southern Brazil.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 32.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 557)
Morphology | Morphometrics
Narrow spatula-shaped lobe from margin of each pectoral. Upper surface ashy gray. Lower surface yellowish white, clouded with mouse gray (Ref. 6902). Characteristic spines on underside of frontal margin of disc.
Moderately deep water species (Ref. 6902). Oviparous (Ref. 50449). Eggs have horn-like projections on the shell (Ref. 205).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Oviparous, paired eggs are laid. Embryos feed solely on yolk (Ref. 50449). Eggs have horn-like projections on the shell (Ref. 205).
McEachran, J.D. and K.A. Dunn, 1998. Phylogenetic analysis of skates, a morphologically conservative clade of elasmobranchs (Chondrichthyes: Rajidae). Copeia 1998(2):271-290. (Ref. 27314)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 120744)
CITES (Ref. 115941)
Threat to humans
Fisheries: of no interest
ReferencesAquacultureAquaculture profileStrainsGeneticsAllele frequenciesHeritabilityDiseasesProcessingMass conversion
Estimates of some properties based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82805
= 0.7500 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00562 (0.00271 - 0.01168), b=3.13 (2.95 - 3.31), in cm Total Length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref. 93245
Trophic Level (Ref. 69278
): 3.6 ±0.5 se; Based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Resilience (Ref. 69278
): Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (Fec assumed to be <100).
Vulnerability (Ref. 59153
): Low to moderate vulnerability (29 of 100) .