DiscoverSpeciesSharks and rays
Madagascar Skate
Dipturus crosnieri
- Usual depth463–850 m
- Water temperature26–28 °C
- Best monthsJuly, September, and November
- How commonRare
About this species
The Madagascar skate is a species of fish in the family Rajidae. It is endemic to Madagascar and its natural habitat is open seas. It is threatened by habitat loss. The IUCN describes the species as "a relatively small, poorly known, rare, deepwater skate with a limited distribution in the Western Indian Ocean off the west coast of Madagascar. [It is b]enthic on the continental slope at depths of 300 to 850 m. Virtually nothing is known of the biology of the species."
Text from the Wikipedia article “Madagascar skate”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article
Where and when
Where it has been recorded
Worldwide
Loading the map
Best months
Worldwide (open data)
- January: 0 records
- February: 0 records
- March: 0 records
- April: 0 records
- May: 0 records
- June: 0 records
- July: 1 records
- August: 0 records
- September: 1 records
- October: 0 records
- November: 1 records
- December: 0 records
Depth and water temperature
Depth
Mostly recorded at 463–850 m · Deepest record: 850 m
Water temperature
Recorded in surface water of 26–28 °C
Names and classification
- English
- Madagascar Skate
Other scientific names: Raja crosnieri
Similar species
Grey SkateDipturus canutus
New Zealand Smooth SkateDipturus innominatus
- Bight Skate
Dipturus gudgeri
Brown Bight SkateDipturus acrobelus
Pale Tropical SkateDipturus apricus
Sources and credits
Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).
- Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
- Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
- Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
- 28 open-data records from 1972 to 1986.
- Species data updated November 2, 2026.
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