dark-belly skate
Bathyraja meridionalis
Skate of cold waters of the far south, with records in Argentina and Chile. It does not occur in Brazil and appears in commercial fishing.
Also called: raia-de-ventre-escuro, dark-belly skate
- maximum
- 120 cm
who is the dark-belly skate
The dark-belly skate is a skate of the family Arhynchobatidae, with a flattened body and a disc formed by the pectoral fins. It reaches 120 cm. It lives on the bottom of cold southern waters, at depths down to 800 m, in the southwestern Atlantic and the Southern Ocean, as far as South Georgia Island. It is oviparous, and the egg cases have horn-like projections on the shell. It appears in commercial fishing. It does not occur in Brazil.
Essential profile. Identification, where it occurs and rules, with data from FishBase and the cited regulations. Season, time of day, technique and bait are added once we have a good source for the dark-belly skate.
identification
Flattened skate with a wide disc and thin tail separated from the disc, like the family's other skates. The belly is dark, the trait that gives the name and helps recognize the species. It lives in cold waters of the far south, far from Brazilian coasts, where it coexists with other skates of the genus Bathyraja, such as the austral sandpaper skate.
Loading the next 7 days…
Each card shows the day's index (0 to 100) and, below it, a strip with the index for each hour, from 0h to 23h. from poor to excellent.
Essential profile: the index uses a general fish model (weather, sun, moon and tide), without a season or time of day specific to this species.
where found
Southwestern Atlantic and Southern Ocean, with records in Argentina and Chile, and as far as South Georgia Island. It does not occur in Brazil.
Habitat: Sea floor of cold southern waters, at depths down to 800 meters.
rules for the dark-belly skate
Summary of the regulations we found, with the source for each. Rules change; before keeping or transporting fish, check with the state environmental agency.
We found no species-specific rule beyond the region's general rules.
catch and release
catch and release Releasing the fish alive, quickly and with a wet hand. During a closed season it isn't always allowed: what the regulation says applies.
Bottom skate, of large size: if it comes on the line, do not lift it out of the water; remove the hook with long-nose pliers or cut the line close and release it with minimal handling. Watch the spines on the back and tail.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.00562, b = 3.13; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa pelo gênero e formato do corpo)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
estimated weight
—
sources and references
Essential profile: size, length-weight, depth, countries and conservation come from FishBase and the cited regulations, and the texts were written from those sources. Season, time of day, sensitivities, technique and baits and lures are not included yet, because we did not find a good source for this species.
- scientific FishBase: Bathyraja meridionalis (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Bathyraja meridionalisNames by country and language.