42

Longnose Skate
Raja rhina

dorsal ventral

egg case

Nuchal 
Orbital 

Dorsal diagram showing thorns on disc.

Diagnosis  The only Alaska species
of Raja with an elongate snout and
deeply notched pelvic fins.
Denticles  Fine denticles on dorsal
surface; ventral surface smooth.
Coloration  Dorsal surface brown with
dark blotches; may have ocelli on disk;
ventral surface gray to black.
Reproduction  Oviparous. Egg case
large and smooth; large webbed keels
on posterior and anterior margins;
horns short, with a loose ventral curl.
Egg case maximum size is 154 mm long
by 121 mm wide.
Maximum Size  At least 142 cm. NMFS
records up to 180 cm are not verifiable.
Range  Eastern Bering Sea to Baja
California and Gulf of California.
Depth  9-1,069 m.
Remarks  The longnose skate is
another large species common in the
Gulf of Alaska. It is generally found in
deeper waters than the big skate, and
is only very rarely encountered in the In Alaska waters, the longnose skate is found in
southeastern Bering Sea. the Gulf of Alaska and southeastern Bering Sea.
Similar Species  The longnose skate is
most likely to be confused with the big
skate, but can be distinguished by its
prolonged snout and deeply notched
pelvic fins. Unlike the big skate, it also
has a small dark ocellus on the dorsal
surface of each pectoral fin and a
relatively dark ventral surface.
Longnose Skate  Raja rhina 43
 44
Alaska Skate
Bathyraja parmifera

dorsal ventral

egg case
Scapular 
Mid-dorsal
Nuchal 
Orbital 

Dorsal diagram showing thorns on disc.

Diagnosis  The only Alaska species
of Bathyraja with the following
combination of characters: naked area
surrounding the tail thorns; orbital
thorns and scapular thorns present
(orbital thorns may be reduced); dorsal
surface dark brown or golden brown,
often with lighter spots or blotches;
total midline thorns typically 32 or
less. Row of mid-dorsal thorns may be
complete or interrupted.
Denticles  Evenly distributed on dorsal
surface of juveniles, patchy on adults;
ventral surface smooth.
Coloration  Dorsal surface dark brown
or golden brown, often with lighter
spots or blotches; ventral surface
brown to white.
Reproduction  Oviparous. Egg case
large, with rows of smooth low ridges
and wide keel; byssal threads attached
on anterior horns. Egg case maximum
size is 140 mm long by 107 mm wide.
Maximum Size  135 cm.
Range  Bering Sea, Aleutian Islands,
Gulf of Alaska; western Bering Sea to
Japan.
Depth  17-392 m.
Remarks  The Alaska skate is perhaps
the most common skate in Alaska
In Alaska waters, the Alaska skate is found in the
waters. It is virtually the only species
Gulf of Alaska, Bering Sea, and eastern Aleutian
of skate found on the Bering Sea shelf, Islands.
where it can be locally abundant. It
appears to be uncommon in the Gulf
of Alaska, particularly east of Kodiak,
and is replaced in the western Aleutian
Islands by the “leopard skate” (see
p. 46).
Similar Species  The Alaska skate is
most similar to the leopard skate from
which it differs in coloration. In the
western Aleutians, the dorsal surface of
the leopard skate exhibits a vivid olive-
yellow leopard spotting pattern and
the total midline thorn count is usually
higher (31 or more).
Alaska Skate  Bathyraja parmifera 45
 46
“Leopard Skate”
Bathyraja sp. cf. parmifera

dorsal ventral

Scapular 
egg case Mid-dorsal
Nuchal 
Orbital 

Dorsal diagram showing thorns on disc.

Diagnosis  The only Alaska species
of Bathyraja with the following
combination of characters: naked area
surrounding the tail thorns; orbital
thorns and scapular thorns present
(orbital thorns may be reduced); dorsal
surface olive green with many dark
spots or blotches and brighter yellow
patches; total midline thorns typically
31 or more.
Denticles  Evenly distributed on dorsal
surface of juveniles, patchy on adults;
ventral surface smooth.
Coloration  Dorsal surface olive green
with many dark spots or blotches and
brighter yellow patches; ventral surface
gray to white.
Reproduction  Oviparous. Egg
case large, with rows of smooth low
ridges and wide keels; byssal thread
attachment at anterior margin. Egg
case maximum size is 128 mm long by
98 mm wide.
Maximum Size  139 cm.
Range  Western Aleutian Islands.
Depth  48-396 m.
Remarks  The leopard skate is
currently an undescribed species, soon
to be formally named by the authors,
which appears to be restricted in
The leopard skate is known only from the west-
Alaska waters to the Aleutian Islands
ern Aleutian Islands.
in Amchitka Pass and farther west.
In addition to body shape and color
differences, recent genetic studies
provide additional evidence that it is a
distinct species closely related to the
Alaska skate.
Similar Species  The leopard skate is
most similar to the Alaska skate, from
which it differs primarily in coloration.
The dorsal surface of the Alaska skate
is dark or golden brown, often with
lighter spots or blotches, and the total
midline thorn count is usually lower (32
or less).
“Leopard Skate”  Bathyraja sp. cf. parmifera 47
 48
Bering Skate
Bathyraja interrupta

ventral
dorsal

Scapular 
Nuchal  (Mid-dorsal)
egg case

Dorsal diagram showing thorns on disc.

Diagnosis  The only Alaska species
of Bathyraja with the following
combination of characters: orbital
thorns absent; scapular thorns present;
row of mid-dorsal thorns usually
interrupted; tail thorns reduced, with
0-2 reduced thorns between dorsal fins.
Denticles  Evenly distributed on dorsal
surface; ventral surface smooth.
Coloration  Dorsal surface light to dark
brown; ventral surface white.
Reproduction  Oviparous. Egg case of
moderate size, with smooth low ridges;
keel wide at mid-case, tapering on
horns; byssal threads attached at mid-
case and/or base of posterior horns;
currently indistinguishable from egg
cases of Bathyraja violacea; egg cases
show considerable variation across the
species range. Egg case maximum size
is 95 mm long by 75 mm wide.
Maximum Size  86 cm.
Range  Bering Sea, eastern Aleutian
Islands, Gulf of Alaska, to California.
Depth  26-1,050 m.
Remarks  This form is probably not a
single species, but a species complex
that extends from the western Bering In Alaska waters, the Bering skate is found in the
Sea to southern California. In the Gulf of Alaska, Bering Sea, and eastern Aleutian
southern part of its range, it is generally Islands.
known as the sandpaper skate. Future
taxonomic work hopefully will resolve
former in having denticles surrounding
this issue.
the tail thorns and from the latter in
Similar Species  The Bering skate having a reduced or interrupted mid-
exhibits a great deal of variation in dorsal thorn row as well as reduced
the prominence of the thorns on the interdorsal thorns.
disc. Some specimens have greatly
reduced thorns, and can therefore
be misidentified as mud or Okhotsk
skates. Specimens with well-developed
thorns may be misidentified as Alaska
or Aleutian skates, but differ from the
Bering Skate  Bathyraja interrupta 49
 50
Aleutian Skate
Bathyraja aleutica

dorsal ventral

egg case Scapular 

Nuchal  Mid-dorsal

Dorsal diagram showing thorns on disc.

Diagnosis  The only Alaska species
of Bathyraja with the following
combination of characters: orbital
thorns absent; scapular thorns present;
row of mid-dorsal thorns usually
continuous; tail thorns large, with 1 or 2
strong thorns between dorsal fins.
Denticles  Evenly distributed on dorsal
surface; ventral surface smooth.
Coloration  Dorsal surface gray, with
or without vague black ocellus on
pectoral fin; ventral surface white with
gray margin.
Reproduction  Oviparous. Egg case
large, covered in brownish bristles that
form a fur-like mat; keel narrow, thick,
opaque at mid-case; byssal threads
attached distally on posterior horn. Egg
case maximum size is 146 mm long by
100 mm wide.
Maximum Size  161 cm.
Range  Bering Sea, Aleutian Islands,
and Gulf of Alaska to northern
California; western Bering Sea to Japan.
Depth  15-1,602 m.
Remarks  The Aleutian skate is one
of the most widespread skates in
Alaska, both geographically and
bathymetrically. It is particularly In Alaska waters, the Aleutian skate is found
common in the Aleutian Islands. in the Gulf of Alaska, Aleutian Islands, and
Bering Sea.
Similar Species  The Aleutian skate’s
thorn pattern most closely resembles
those of the Bering, Alaska, and
“leopard” skates. However, the Aleutian
skate can be distinguished from the
Bering skate by the strength of the
mid-dorsal and interdorsal thorns, and
from the Alaska and leopard skates
by the presence of denticles around
the tail thorns. The coloration of the
Aleutian skate may be vaguely similar
to that of the whiteblotched skate, but
the thorn pattern is markedly different.
Aleutian Skate  Bathyraja aleutica 51
 52
Okhotsk Skate
Bathyraja violacea

dorsal ventral

egg case

Dorsal diagram showing absence of disc thorns.

Diagnosis  The only Alaska species
of Bathyraja with the following
combination of characters: disc free
of thorns; large diamond-shaped disc,
with tail length less than or equal
to precaudal length; dorsal surface
without pale or yellow blotches; ventral
surface white or cream-colored.
Denticles  Dorsal surface with patches
of small fine denticles; ventral surface
smooth.
Coloration  Dorsal surface gray to
brown, often with dark reticulations;
ventral surface white or cream-colored.
Reproduction  Oviparous. Egg case of
moderate size, with smooth low ridges;
keel wide at mid-case, tapering on
horns; byssal threads attached at mid-
case and/or base of posterior horns;
presently indistinguishable from egg
cases of the Bering skate.
Maximum Size  73 cm.
Range  Western Aleutian Islands;
western Bering Sea to Japan.
Depth  124-510 m.
Remarks  The distribution of this
species is poorly known, but it appears
to be much more common in the
western Bering Sea and Sea of Okhotsk.
It can be difficult to distinguish from In Alaska waters, the Okhotsk skate is known
the Bering skate. from only one location.
Similar Species  The Okhotsk skate
generally has no thorns on the disc,
and therefore can be confused with the
mud skate or butterfly skate. However,
the mud skate is smaller and rounded,
and males have a pseudosiphon on
the clasper. In the Aleutians, both the
mud skate and the butterfly skate
can easily be distinguished from the
Okhotsk skate by the presence of vivid
greenish or yellow blotching on the
disc. The Bering skate occasionally has
greatly reduced thorns, and also can be
confused with the Okhotsk skate.
Okhotsk Skate  Bathyraja violacea 53