Common Name
McCain's Skate
Year Described
Springer, 1971
Identification
Nuchal median thorns: none
Tail median thorns: 9-15
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. Two strong ocular thorns. One scapular thorn on each side. Alar thorns in a curved band. Usually a single interdorsal thorn. Dorsal fins very close together. Pelvic fins strongly notched. Tail shorter than disk. Claspers long and slender. Teeth are conical and sharp (29).
Color
Dorsum of adults medium brown with scattered paler spots and blotches. A single pectoral blotch is usually larger and most obvious. Body thorns are bright white. Ventrum white with darker blotching. Juveniles with a more bold pattern of dark blotches over lighter brown with lighter spots surrounding the larger blotches (illustrated).
Size
Maximum size to 120cm TL.
Habitat
Found on soft bottoms on continental shelves and slopes around Antarctic islands (to 500m).
Range
From the southwestern Atlantic sector of the southern ocean it has been captured off the South Shetlands and South Orkneys.
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.