Fenestraja plutonia

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Conservation Actions

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	CHONDRICHTHYES	RAJIFORMES	RAJIDAE

Scientific Name:	Fenestraja plutonia
Species Authority:	(Garman, 1881)
Synonym/s:	Raja plutonia Garman, 1881

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:	Data Deficient ver 3.1
Year Published:	2009
Assessor/s:	McCormack, C.
Reviewer/s:	Valenti, S.V. & Kyne, P.M. (Shark Red List Authority)
Contributor/s:
Justification: Fenestraja plutonia is a small (to 27 cm TL) deepwater skate known from depths of 293–1,024 m with a patchy distribution in the western central Atlantic. Virtually nothing is known of this species' biology. No information is available on interactions with fisheries and while it is a potential bycatch of deeper water demersal trawling, its wide bathymetric range probably provides it with refuge at depth. However, at present this species cannot be assessed beyond Data Deficient.

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	Western central Atlantic: recorded from North Carolina to Florida Keys, Bahamas, northeastern Gulf of Mexico, Costa Rica, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana and Suriname (McEachran and Carvalho 2002).
Countries:	Native: Colombia; Costa Rica; Guyana; Mexico; Suriname; United States (Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina); Venezuela
FAO Marine Fishing Areas:	Native: Atlantic – western central
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:	Population size is unknown.
Population Trend:	Unknown

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	Bathydemersal deepwater species reported at depths from 293–1,024 m (McEachran and Carvalho 2002). Maximum size 27 cm total length (TL), and males mature at about 23 cm TL (McEachran and Carvalho 2002). Reproduction is presumably oviparous, like other skates. Little else is known of the biology of this species.
Systems:	Marine

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	No specific information is available on the bycatch of this species in any fisheries but it may be vulnerable to bycatch in deepwater trawl fisheries off southern USA, in the Gulf of Mexico, and potentially elsewhere. There is probably some refuge for this species in deeper water beyond the depth of current fishing activities.

Major Threat(s):

No specific information is available on the bycatch of this species in any fisheries but it may be vulnerable to bycatch in deepwater trawl fisheries off southern USA, in the Gulf of Mexico, and potentially elsewhere. There is probably some refuge for this species in deeper water beyond the depth of current fishing activities.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	Further surveys are required to better define the species' distribution, depth range and biology. Careful monitoring should also be undertaken should fisheries expand to greater depths in the region. The development and implementation of management plans (national and/or regional e.g., under the FAO International Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks: IPOA Sharks) are required to facilitate the conservation and sustainable management of all chondrichthyan species in the region.

Conservation Actions:

Further surveys are required to better define the species' distribution, depth range and biology. Careful monitoring should also be undertaken should fisheries expand to greater depths in the region. The development and implementation of management plans (national and/or regional e.g., under the FAO International Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks: IPOA Sharks) are required to facilitate the conservation and sustainable management of all chondrichthyan species in the region.

Citation:	McCormack, C. 2009. Fenestraja plutonia. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 25 May 2013.
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