Rajella fyllae explained

Rajella fyllae is a species of skate in the family Rajidae.^{[1] [2]}

Name

The scientific name fyllae refers to the ship HDMS Fylla, from where the holotype was collected by the Fylla scientific expeditions of 1884 and 1886 to Greenland.^[3]

It is sometimes called the round ray or round skate,^[4] but those names are also used for the family Urotrygonidae or the genera Heliotrygon and Irolita.^{[5] [6]} The name Fylla's ray is also used, perhaps by writers who thought that "Fylla" was the name of a person.^{[7] [8]}

Distribution

The round ray lives in the North Atlantic Ocean and Arctic Ocean. It is a benthic fish, found in depths of, typically ; in cold deeper continental shelf waters, .^{[9] [10]}

Description

Like all rays, the round ray has a flattened body with broad, wing-like pectoral fins. Its maximum length is . Its dorsal (upper) surface is grey or brown, with the lower surface light gray or fawn, with dark patches on the pelvic fins and axils of pectoral fins.^[11]

Behaviour

Rajella fyllae feeds on mysids, copepods, crustaceans and amphipods.^[12]

In breeding, there is a distinct pairing of the male and female, with an "embrace." It is oviparous, the eggs being oblong with stiff pointed "horns" in the corners; they are deposited in sandy or muddy flats.^[13]

Notes and References

1. Book: Hamlett, William C.. Reproductive Biology and Phylogeny of Chondrichthyes: Sharks, Batoids, and Chimaeras, Volume 3. October 14, 2011. CRC Press. 9781439856000 . Google Books.
2. Book: Field Guide to Sharks, Rays & Chimaeras of Europe and the Mediterranean. David A.. Ebert. Marc. Dando. December 8, 2020. Princeton University Press. 9780691211824 . Google Books.
3. Book: Sharks: An Eponym Dictionary. Michael. Watkins. Bo. Beolens. January 30, 2015. Pelagic Publishing Ltd. 9781784270377 . Google Books.
4. Book: Hamlett, William C.. Sharks, Skates, and Rays: The Biology of Elasmobranch Fishes. May 21, 1999. JHU Press. 9780801860485 . Google Books.
5. Rajella fyllae: Kulka, D.W., Anderson, B., Derrick, D., Pacoureau, N. & Dulvy, N.K. . 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T197086A22515038.en . 2019 . 242570192 . free .
6. Book: Biology of Skates. David A.. Ebert. James. Sulikowski. December 25, 2008. Springer Science & Business Media. 9781402097034 . Google Books.
7. https://data.marine.gov.scot/sites/default/files/Neatetal2010MSS.pdf Marine Scotland Science Report 03/10 - Deepwater Trawl Survey Manual
8. Demersal fish diversity of the isolated Rockall plateau compared with the adjacent west coast shelf of Scotland: FISH DIVERSITY OF THE ROCKALL PLATEAU. Francis. Neat. Neil. Campbell. September 20, 2011. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. 104. 1. 138–147. 10.1111/j.1095-8312.2011.01699.x. free.
9. Web site: WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Rajella fyllae (Lütken, 1887). www.marinespecies.org.
10. Book: Sharks and Their Relatives II: Biodiversity, Adaptive Physiology, and Conservation. Jeffrey C.. Carrier. John A.. Musick. Michael R.. Heithaus. March 9, 2010. CRC Press. 9781420080483 . Google Books.
11. Web site: Rajella fyllae, Round ray. www.fishbase.se.
12. Book: Rays of the World. Peter. Last. Gavin. Naylor. Bernard. Séret. William. White. Matthias. Stehmann. Marcelo de. Carvalho. December 1, 2016. Csiro Publishing. 9780643109155 . Google Books.
13. Web site: WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Rajella fyllae (Lütken, 1887). www.marinespecies.org.