Smooth Deepsea Skate

Dark brown in color (Ref. 26346). Wing tips rounded; snout shorter than most other skates; skin smooth, soft and loose, with band prickles on hind body and tail (Ref. 26346).

Oviparous (Ref. 26346). Paired eggs are laid. Embryos feed solely on yolk (Ref. 50449). Distinct pairing with embrace. Young may tend to follow large objects, such as their mother (Ref. 205).

Inhabit the continental slope (Ref. 26346). Oviparous. Distinct pairing with embrace. Young may tend to follow large objects, such as their mother (Ref. 205). Eggs are oblong capsules with stiff pointed horns at the corners deposited in sandy or muddy flats (Ref. 205). Egg capsules are 3.7 cm long and 2.2 cm wide (Ref. 41249).

The smooth deep-sea skate (Brochiraja asperula) is a skate in the family Arhynchobatidae. It is found off New Zealand, at depths of from 200 to 1,300 m on the continental shelf. Their length is from 30 to 50 cm.