Author: Delaroche, 1809

Raja (Raja) asterias Delaroche, 1809

Diagnosis: upper surface smooth in juveniles, but very prickly in adults; underside partly prickly in large specimens. Orbital thorns separate; a slightly irregular median row of 50-60 thorns from nape to first dorsal fin, sometimes interrupted on back, 0-2 thorns between the widely separate dorsal fins; an additional parallel row on tail occasionally in adults. Colour: upper surface light brown with scattered dark dots which partly encircle larger light spots; underside white. Size: to about 70 cm TL.

Habitat: benthic from inshore waters to about 100 m; locally very common, especiaily in western Mediterranean. Food: all kinds of benthic animals. Reproduction: oviparous; about 30 to more than 100 egg-cases per year (depending on size of female), peak in summer to early autumn; egg-cases 45 by 30 mm (excluding horns), 110 by 45 mm in Tunisian waters; development of embryos 5-6 months. Locally exploited.

Distribution: Mediterranean, less common in eastern part; also, Strait of Gibraltar, southern Portugal (questionable) and northern Morocco (reported common).

Complementary iconography. Clark, 1931, in Faune ichthyol. Atl. N., fiche 35 | Bini, 1967: 143-144.
Eggs, embryonic and young stages. Lo Bianco, 1909: 679 (description of egg-capsule).

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Subphylum Vertebrata
Superclass Gnathostomata
Class Chondrichthyes
Superorder Hypotremata
Family Rajidae
Genus Raja
Species Raja asterias

Status in World Register of Marine Species

Accepted name: Raja asterias Delaroche, 1809

Scientific synonyms and common names

Raja (Raja) asterias Delaroche, 1809

Synonyms:

Raja (Raja) asterias Delaroche, 1809
Raja asterias Delaroche, 1809, Annls. Mus. Hist. nat., Paris, 13: 322, pl. 20 (fig. 1)
(Mediterranean coast of Spain). Holotype: MNHN no. 1610, Barcelona.
Raja punctata Risso, 1810, Ichthyol. Nice: 12-13 (Mediterranean coast of France). No type material.
Raja punctata: Risso, 1826: 153 Günther, 1870: 458-459 Moreau, 1881: 426-429 Doderlein, 1884: 186-191 Lo Bianco, 1909: 679.
Raja jojenia Cocco, 1836, Atti Accad. gioenia Sci. nat., 11(2): 85-88, fig. (Mediterranean). No type material.
Dasybatis asterias: Bonaparte, 1840: fasc. 29, punt. 154, 1 pl., fig. 2 Canestrini, 1872: 57 Stossich, 1880: 46.
Raja schultzii Müller & Henle, 1841, Syst. Beschr. Plagiost.: 138-139, pl. 47 (fig. 1) (Mediterranean). Holotype: ZMHU no. 4596.
Raja schultzii: Duméril, 1865: 541-543.
Raja jojenia: Doderlein, 1884: 192-193.
Raja stellata Garman, 1913, Plagiostomia: 321-322 (Genoa). No type material.
Raja asterias: Clark, 1926: 7-9, pl. 1 Lozano Rey, 1928: 575-581, pl. 14 Nobre, 1935: 479-480 Dieuzeide et al., 1953: 90-92, fig. Roland, 1953: 198-218, fig. 15-19 Albuquerque, 1954-1956: 152-153 Tortonese, 1956: 231-233, fig. 127-128 Soljan, 1963: 98-99, fig. Stehmann, 1970: 106, 149 Capapé, 1977 b: 305, 8 fig.

Common names:

Starry ray [En]
raie etoilée [Fr]
razza stellata [It]
Raya estrellada [Es]

*Nobre, A. 1935. Fauna marinha de Portugal. 1. Vertebrados (Mamiferos, Reptis e Peixes), Porto.: Ixxxiv+1-21 (Mamiferos); 1-5 (Reptis); 1-574 (Peixes), 77 pl., 64 phot.

Albuquerque, R. M. 1954-1956. Peixes de Portugal e ilhas adjacentes. Chavas para a sua determinação. Port. Acta biol., ser. B,5:xvi+1167 p., 445 fig.

Bini, G. 1967-72. Atlante dei pesci delle Coste italiane. Mondo Sommerso, Milano, 9 vol: I, 1967, Leptocardi, Ciclostomi, Selaci, 206 p., 66 fig+64 col. fig. II, 1971, Osteitti (Acipenseriformi, Clupeiformi, Mictofiformi, Anguilliformi), 300 p., 73 col. fig. III, 1970, Notacantiformi . . . Zeiformi, 229 p., 34 fig+63 col. fig. IV, 1968, Perciformi (Mugiloidei, Percoidei), 163 p., 34 fig+49 col. fig. V, 1968, Perciformi (Percoidei), 175 p., 22 fig.+56 col. fig. VI, 1968, Perciformi (Trichiuroidei . . . Blennioidei), 177 p., 48 fig+57 col. fig. VII,1969, Perciformi (Ofidioidei . . . Dactilopteroidei), 196 p., 57 fig.+59 col. fig. VIII,1968, Pleuronettiformi, Echeniformi, Gobioesociformi, Tetraodontiformi, Lofiformi, 164 p., 34+63 fig. IX, 1972, Introduzione. Parte generale. Aggiornamenti. Indici. 176 p.

Bonaparte, C. L. 1832-41, Iconografia della Fauna italica per le quattro classi degli Animali Vertebrati, tomo III, Pesci, Roma, without pagination, 75 puntate (in 30 fasc.), 78 pl.

Canestrini, G.1871-72. Pesci d'Italia. Parte I, 1871, Pesci delle acque dolci: 436, 2 fig., Parte II, 1872, Pesci marini: 37-208. In: E. Cornalia, 1870-74, Fauna d'Italia, Milano, 3 :1-208.

Capapé, C. 1977b. Contribution a la biologie des Rajidae des cotes tunisiennes. IV. Raja asterias Delaroche, 1809: repartition geographique et bathymetrique, sexualite, reproduction et fecondite. Bull. Mus. nat. Hist. nat., (3) 43S. Zool. 305: 305-326, 8 fig.

Clark, R. S.1926. Rays and Skates, a revision of the european species. Fisheries, Scotland, Scient. Invest., (1) :1-66, fig. 1-42, pl. 1-36.

Clark, R. S.1929-32. Selachii, Raiidae. In: L. Joubin, ed., Faune ichthyol. Atl. N., CIEM, Copenhagen: fiches 34bis-57.

Cocco, A.1836. Su di una nuova razza (Raja). Atti Accad Gioenia, Catania, 11(2): 85-88, I Pl-

Delaroche, F. E. 1809b. Suite du mémoire sur les espèces de poissons observées à Iviça. Observations sur quelques-uns des poissons indiqués dans le précédent tableau et descriptions des espèces nouvelles ou peu connues. Annls Mus. Hist. nat., Paris, 13: 313-361, pl. 20-25.

Dieuzeide, R.; Novella, M. (collab. J. Roland), 1953-55. Catalogue des Poissons des Côtes algériennes. Bull. Stn Aquic. Pêch. Castiglione, I (n.s.), (4), 1952 [1953]: 1-135, 73 fig. n. num.; II (n.s.), (5), 1953 [1954] :1-258, 135 fig. n. num.; III (n.s.), (6), 1954 [1955] :1-384, 202 fig. n. num.

Döderlein, P.1879-91. Manuale Ittiologico del Mediterraneo ossia senossi metodica delle varie specie di pesci riscontrate sin qui nel Mediterraneo ed in particolare nei mari di Sicilia. Palermo, 1879-91 (on title: '1879-80') 5 parts: I, 1879: viii+67 p.; II, 1881:1-120; III, 1884 :121-258; IV, 1889 :1-188; V, 1891:189-320.

Döderlein, P.1879-91. Manuale Ittiologico del Mediterraneo ossia senossi metodica delle varie specie di pesci riscontrate sin qui nel Mediterraneo ed in particolare nei mari di Sicilia. Palermo, 1879-91 (on title: '1879-80') 5 parts: I, 1879: viii+67 p.; II, 1881:1-120; III, 1884 :121-258; IV, 1889 :1-188; V, 1891:189-320.

Duméril, A. H. A.1865. Histoire naturelle des poissons ou ichthyologie générale, Paris, 2 vol., 1: 720 p., Atlas: 14 pl.

Garman, S. 1913. The Plagiostomia (Sharks, Skates, and Rays). Mem. Mus. comp. Zool. Harv., 36: xiii+528 p., 77 pl.

Günther, A.1870. Catalogue of the fishes in the British Museum. 8. Catalogue of the Physostomi containing the families Gymnotidae, Symbranchidae, Muraenidae, Pegasidae and of the Lophobranchii, Plectognathi, Dipnoi, Ganoidei, Chondropterygii, Cyclostomata, Leptocardii in the collection of the British Museum. London, xxv+549 p.

Lo Bianco, S.1909. Notizie biologiche riguardanti specialmente il periodo di maturita sessuale degli animali del golfo di Napoli. Mitt. zool Stn Neapel, 19: 513-761.

Lozano y Rey, L.1928. Fauna Ibérica. Pesces (Generalidades, Ciclóstomos y Elasmobranquios). Mus. Nac. Ciencias Nat., Madrid, 1:1-692,197 fig., 20 pl.

Moreau, E.1881-91. Histoire naturelle des poissons de la France, Paris, I, 1881: I-VII+ 1-480, fig. 1-82; II, 1881:1-572, fig. 83-145; III, 1881:1-697, fig. 146-220; Suppl., 1891: 1-144, fig. 221-227.

Müller, J.; Henle, J.1841. Systematische Beschreibung der Plagiostomen. Berlin, xxii+204 p., 60 pl.

Risso, A.1810. Ichthyologie de Nice, ou histoire naturelle des poissons du département des Alpes Maritimes. Paris, xxxvi+388 p., 11 pl. (Reprint, 1966, Asher, Amsterdam.)

Risso, A.1826. Histoire naturelle des principales productions de l'Europe méridionale et particulièrement de celles des environs de Nice et des Alpes maritimes. Paris et Strasbourg, vol. III, XVI+486 p., 16 pl.

Roland, J. 1953. Diagnoses de quelques Raies des Côtes algériennes. Bull. Stn Aquic. Pêch. Castiglione (n.s.), 1952 (4) :139-274, fig. 1-32.

Soljan, T. 1963. Fishes of the Adriatic (Ribe Jadrana). Fauna et flora adriatica 1 (revised and enlarged for the English edition), 428 p., many unnumbered fig.

Stehmann, M. 1970. Vergleichend morphologische und anatomische Untersuchungen zur Neuordnung der Systematik der nordostatlantischen Rajidae (Chondrichthyes, Batoidei). Arch. FischWiss., 21(2): 73-163,1 fig., pl. 1-27.

Stossich, M. 1879. Prospetto della Fauna del Mare Adriatico. Parte I. Boll. Soc. adriar. Sci. nar., 5 (1): 18-71.

Tortonese, E. 1956b. Leptocardia, Ciclostomata, Selachii. Fauna Ital., 2: 334 p., 163 fig.

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