Common Name
Eaton's Skate
Year Described
Günther, 1876
Identification
Nuchal median thorns: 1-2 (often none in large adults)
Tail median thorns: 8-18
Disk diamond shaped with juveniles being covered in prickles but becoming more smooth with age. Adults with prickles restricted to pectoral and pelvic patches and a median band on back. Median thorn row restricted to tail. Tail median thorn row flanked with lateral finfolds. Snout moderate, with almost straight anterior margins. Anterior margin of pectoral fins concave. Ocular, rostral, and scapular thorns absent. Alar thorns in a curved band. Usually a single interdorsal thorn. Dorsal fins very close together. Pelvic fins strongly notched. Claspers stout. Teeth are conical and sharp.
Color
Dorsum varies from plain brown to marbled with brown and yellowish-brown. Sides of snout and thorns paler. Ventrom white with blackish edges to disk and black patches around the vent and on tail. Young specimen illustrated has semi-translucent yellowish-brown disk edges and brown and white speckles.
Size
Maximum size to 126cm TL.
Habitat
A demersal skate found at a wide variety of depths, from shallow to deep continental slopes in polar waters (to 1500m).
Range
In the southwestern Atlantic known from the South Shetlands and South Sandwich Islands and off the Antarctic Peninsula. Not known from the rest of the Scotia Arc.
References
Last, P.R., White, W.T., Carvalho, M.R. de, Séret, B., Stehmann, M.F.W & Naylor, G.J.P (Eds.). 2016. Rays of the World. CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne.