Dipturus nasutus

Sharks and rays
IUCN: Not evaluated

Usual depth28–428 m
Water temperature8–18 °C
Best monthsMay
How commonCommon

About this species

The New Zealand rough skate is a skate of the genus Zearaja, found around New Zealand at depths between 10 and 1,500 m. Its length is up to 1 m. This species has been assessed by the IUCN as of Least Concern. In June 2018 the New Zealand Department of Conservation classified the New Zealand rough skate as "Not Threatened" with the qualifier "Conservation Dependant" under the New Zealand Threat Classification System.

Text from the Wikipedia article “New Zealand rough skate”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article

Where and when

Where it has been recorded

Worldwide

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Best months

Worldwide (open data)

January: 4 records
February: 1 records
March: 138 records
April: 194 records
May: 745 records
June: 182 records
July: 33 records
August: 17 records
September: 26 records
October: 3 records
November: 14 records
December: 2 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 28–428 m · Deepest record: 1,465 m

0–10 m: 24 records
10–20 m: 229 records
20–30 m: 419 records
30–40 m: 524 records
40–50 m: 635 records
50–60 m: 335 records
60–70 m: 258 records
70–80 m: 300 records
80–90 m: 287 records
90–100 m: 173 records
100–110 m: 193 records
110+ m: 2,174 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 8–18 °C

6–8 °C: 11 records
8–10 °C: 43 records
10–12 °C: 211 records
12–14 °C: 354 records
14–16 °C: 257 records
16–18 °C: 104 records
18–20 °C: 2 records

Names and classification

Other scientific names: Raja nasuta, Zearaja nasuta, Zearaja nasutus

Similar species

Grey Skate
Dipturus canutus
New Zealand Smooth Skate
Dipturus innominatus
Bight Skate
Dipturus gudgeri
Brown Bight Skate
Dipturus acrobelus
Pale Tropical Skate
Dipturus apricus
Queensland Deepwater Skate
Dipturus queenslandicus

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).
5,909 open-data records from 1900 to 2018.
Species data updated November 2, 2026.

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