BLAOK-BELLIEl) SKATK. 



1123 



tlioms deep, this Ijeiiig the in.ixiimiiu deptli of an or- 

 dinary stake-net. 



Tile conniion iSlcate seeks its food, like other Rays, 

 among all kinds of marine animals, its size rendering 

 it a still more dangerous enemy of the larger among 

 them, such as Flatfishes, Codiishes, and large crusta- 

 ceans. Even its congeners do not escape. 



'File breeding season of the common Skate occurs 

 in spring. During summer, from May till Septemher, 

 it deposits its eggs, the siiell of which, according to 

 Kroyer, is of a handsome sea-green colour when fresh. 

 While dredging in very deep water off the outermost 

 islands in Bohusliin, Fhies secured the emptj' egg-shell 

 of a Kay. It measured 32 cm. in length and rather 

 more than 13' „ cm. in ])readth", and in all probability 

 belonged to the common Skate. 



The fairly ])lentiful occurrence of this species ren- 

 ders it of no little economical irapoi'tance to man. The 

 largest Skate are less esteemed, however, than those of 

 medium size. When boiled fresh, Skate finds no great 

 favour with the fishing population, who prefer either 

 to keep it a day or two before eating or to score it 

 with deep long slits, after which it is either salted or 

 dried. Under the last-mentioned form it is often sub- 

 stituted for stockfish in their Christmas fare''. 



No special fishery can be said to be practised for 

 the common Skate; but on his long-lines the fisherman 

 usually heaves everj' fifth snood, the so-called Ray-snood, 

 without float, so that it may siid< to tlie bottom, where 

 the bait, generally tlie head of a Herring, is more easily 

 reached by the Skate. 



(FiiiE.s, Smitt.) 



THE BLACK-BELLIED SKATE (sw. svartbuksrockanO- 

 RAJA NIDROSIENSIS. 



Figs. 293, A and 324. 



Length of the snout from the anterior niorf/iv of the ei/ef! {in adidt specimens) ahotit 1!) — 23 % of the lent/th of 

 the hody or ;2S ?« {:^7 — 30 ?») of the greatest breadth of the disk. Disfanre betiveen each iiostril and the tip of 

 the snout about ' ^ of the said breadth and more than twice the internasal width. Least interorbital width less 

 than '4 {34^ 2 — 31 %) of the length of the snout. Females" ivith three rotes of aculei on the tail, males with 

 only one (that of the upper median line). Otherwise: aculei, dorscd fins, and caudal fin as in the common Skate. 

 Ventrid side so dark (blackish) that the black dots and streaks are indistinct. 



Syn. f Raja Macrorynchus, Rafin., Caratt. ale. n. gen., \i. 15; 



BoNAP. {LcEviraja), Iconogr. Fna Ital., Peaci, lab. 151, fig. 



2; Gthr {Raja), Cat. Brit. Mus. Fisli., vol. VIII, p. 468; 



Mou., Hist. Xat. Puiss. Fr.. torn. I, p. 405; Day, Fish. 



Gt. Brit., Irel, vol. II, p. 338, tah. CLXVII. 

 .' Rata ijitermedia, Parn., Mem. Wern. Nat. Hist. Soc, vol. VII, 



p. 429, tab. XL; Rich, in Yarr., Brit. Fish., ed. 3, vol. 



II, p. 557. 

 Raja jiidrosiensis. Coll. apud Storm, N. Vid. Sclsk. Skr. Trondlij. 



1880, p. 80; Coll., Forh. Vid. Selsk. Chrnia 1881, No. 7; 



Storm, ). c. 1883, p. 47; Coll., N. Mag. Naturv. Clirnia, 



Bd 29, p. 121; Lillj., Sv., Norg. Fna, Fisk., vol. Ill, 



p. 576. 



Of the Black-bellied Skate only large specimens, 

 about 14 — 20 dm. long and 10 — 14 dm. broad, have 

 hitherto been found. In form of body it is so similar 

 to the common Skate that the longer snout can merely 

 be adduced as a character which is generally distinctive 



of the Black-bellied Skate, but which — to judge bv 

 the course of development known to be followed by 

 the other Rays — will probably lose its significance 

 when information has been obtained of the earlier stages 

 in the growth of this fish. The skeletons of the two 

 species are also alike, apart from the length of the 

 rostral region. The only difference worthy of rcraai-k 

 in skeletons of about equal size seems to be that in the 

 pectoral fins of the Black-bellied Skate the mesoptery- 

 gium is bifid; but the number of the radialia applied 

 to the two parts is the same (13) as that possessed by 

 the undivided mesopterygium of the common Skate. 

 The outer (anterior) lobe of the ventral fins also appears 

 in the Black-bellied Skate to be longer in proportion to 

 the posterior lobe; but to judge by Collett's measure- 



" In its present dried condition it measures, including the short horns, 24' , cm. iu length and 8' 

 ' See p. 1107, note /. 



' LlLLJEBOBO, I. C. 



■* According to CoLLETT. 



cm. in breadth. 



