McCain's skate
Bathyraja maccaini Springer, 1971
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
Bathyraja maccaini, also known as McCain's skate, is a species of softnose skate in the family Arhynchobatidae. It is a demersal species. Its range is poorly understood, but it is distributed in Antarctic and Subantarctic waters from the Orkney and South Shetland Islands to the Antarctic Peninsula. Its distribution may also extend into the Weddell and Ross Seas. It is typically found at depths between 91 and 500 metres.
It is currently listed by the IUCN as being least concern.
Like other elasmobranchs, McCain's skate is oviparous and lay eggs in mermaid's purses. The embryos are dependent on yolk, and as such do not feed in early development. Young individuals may follow large objects, such as their mothers.
McCain's skate is slow-growing, reaching its full size of 120 centimetres after 10 years or more.
It is sometimes caught incidentally by fisheries that target Dissostichus eleginodes in the Ross Sea.
Named in honor of Antarctic zoologist John C. McCain, collector of the type, aboard the M/V Hero in 1967.
Wikipedia contributors, Bathyraja maccaini; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T04:12:44.347743+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Bathyraja maccaini Springer, 1971
- Name authority
- Springer, 1971
- Common name
- McCain's skate
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Elasmobranchii
- Order
- Rajiformes
- Family
- Arhynchobatidae
- Genus
- Bathyraja
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: yes · Freshwater: no · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumChondrichthyes
- classElasmobranchii
- subclassNeoselachii
- infraclassBatoidea
- orderRajiformes Berg, 1940
- familyArhynchobatidae Fowler, 1934
- genusBathyraja Ishiyama, 1958
- speciesBathyraja maccaini Springer, 1971
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Bathyraja. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| graytale stakeBathyraja griseocauda (Norman, 1937) | ArhynchobatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Bering skateBathyraja interrupta (Gill & Townsend, 1897) | ArhynchobatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Bathyraja longicauda (de Buen, 1959) | ArhynchobatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Bathyraja leucomelanos Iglésias & Lévy-Hartmann, 2012 | ArhynchobatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Bathyraja macloviana (Norman, 1937) | ArhynchobatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Little-eyed skateBathyraja andriashevi Dolganov, 1983 | ArhynchobatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Bathyraja albomaculata (Norman, 1937) | ArhynchobatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Deepsea skateBathyraja abyssicola (Gilbert, 1896) | ArhynchobatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Bathyraja caeluronigricans Ishiyama & Ishihara, 1977 | ArhynchobatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Kerguelen sandpaper skateBathyraja irrasa Hureau & Ozouf-Costaz, 1980 | ArhynchobatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Bathyraja hesperafricana Stehmann, 1995 | ArhynchobatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Bathyraja ishiharai Stehmann, 2005 | ArhynchobatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Raja rakusai Rembiszewski, 1980 Rembiszewski, 1980 | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- Springer, S. (1971). Three species of skates (Rajidae) from the continental waters of Antarctica. In: Biology of the Antarctic Seas IV. Antarctic Research Series, Washington DC, v. 17: 1–10. Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:68DZB. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.