Melbourne Skate

Spiniraja whitleyi

Sea Life Endemic IUCN: Vulnerable

About

A large skate with an angled disc; snout broadly pointed with a central cartilaginous support; tail short, with 1-3 rows of thorns and two dorsal fins near the tip; 1-4 thorns along the middle behind the head; a patch of thorns on each wing. Grey or greyish-brown on top, scattered with white flecks, underside pale. Juveniles have a large dark blotch on each wing.

Images showing the key charateristics of this skate species

Size

Can grow to around 170cm long and up to around 50kg

Habitat

The Melbourne Skate is one of the few skates to live on hard bottoms around reefs, although it also occurs on soft bottoms from intertidal zones out to a depth of around 345m

Distribution

Southern Australia widely distributed on the continental shelf from about Sydney, New South Wales, to about Albany, Western Australia, and around Tasmania

Local Sightings

1 recorded sighting in and around the area.

References & citations (3)
  1. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021 (accessed 2021-09-22 14:03:33)
  2. Bray, D.J. 2021, Spiniraja whitleyi in Fishes of Australia (accessed 2021-09-22 14:03:33)
  3. The Atlas of Living Australia (accessed 2021-09-22 14:03:33)

Header image: CC BY 4.0 © Bruce Deagle

Disclaimer: A lot of work goes into making sure identifications, descriptions, sizes, habitats and distribution details are as accurate as possible — but this information is ever-changing, so no guarantee is offered that it is correct or currently valid. Treat it as a guide and do a little of your own research for the latest word. Feedback and corrections are always welcome.