Cuckoo rays
| Cuckoo rays | ||||||||||||
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Cuckoo ray ( Leucoraja naevus ) |
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| Leucoraja naevus | ||||||||||||
| ( Müller & Henle , 1841) |
The cuckoo ray ( Leucoraja naevus ) is a species of ray from the North Atlantic , which is characterized by two eye-catching eye spots . He is able to adapt his body color to the ground.
features
The cuckoo ray reaches a body length of a maximum of 50 centimeters. It has the typical ( dorsoventral ) flattened body for rays , which has the shape of a diamond . The mouth is slightly extended and blunt, the pectoral fins have rounded edges and are concave on the front . The back is marbled brown and has two noticeable eye spots, the ray can adapt the color to the background. The underside is white or pink. The two approximately equally long dorsal fins are located at the end of the comparatively long tail stalk.
distribution
The cuckoo ray lives benthal (on the seabed) in the North Atlantic from the southern coast of Scandinavia , the Kattegat and the North Sea to Morocco .
Way of life
Like the majority of rays, the cuckoo ray is a fish that lives on the bottom, although it can be found in the Neritic zone from 20 to 200 meters on sandy and rocky floors. It feeds mainly on invertebrates such as crustaceans , molluscs and echinoderms, as well as small fish.
Like the other real rays (Rajidae), the cuckoo ray is not viviparous. Between March and September, the females lay egg capsules about 6.5 centimeters long with long appendages at the corners. The young hatch after four to five months.
Danger
In the IUCN Red List , the cuckoo ray is classified as a “least concern”.
supporting documents
- ↑ a b c d Andreas Vilcinskas : Fish. Central European freshwater species and marine fish from the North and Baltic Seas. BLV, Munich 2000; P. 54, ISBN 3-405-15848-6 .
- ↑ Cuckoo rays on Fishbase.org (English)
- ↑ Leucoraja naevus in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2009.2. Posted by: Ellis, J., Ungaro, N., Serena, F., Dulvy, NK, Tinti, F., Bertozzi, M., Pasolini, P., Mancusi, C. & Notarbartolo di Sciara, G., 2008 Retrieved December 12, 2009.
literature
- Andreas Vilcinskas : Fish. Central European freshwater species and marine fish from the North and Baltic Seas. BLV, Munich 2000; P. 54, ISBN 3-405-15848-6 .
Web links
- Cuckoo rays on Fishbase.org (English)