Maltese Ray

Elasmobranch

Identification & Biology

• IdentificationA medium-sized skate with a rhombic (diamond-shaped) disc, a moderately pointed snout, and distinctive star-shaped markings (stellate patches) on the upper surface. Brown to olive above with pale spots and blotches. The underside is white.
• SizeDisc width up to about 50 cm. Total length up to 70 cm.
• Social HabitSolitary. Rests on the seabed, relying on camouflage. Poorly studied due to its restricted range and declining numbers.
• HabitatSandy and muddy bottoms on the continental shelf. An endemic Mediterranean species found only in relatively shallow to moderate depths.
• Depth60 to 400 m. Most records come from between 70 and 200 m.
• Feeds OnSmall crustaceans, polychaete worms, and small bottom-dwelling fish.
• DistributionEndemic to the central and western Mediterranean Sea. Recorded from the Strait of Sicily, around Malta, Tunisia, Sardinia, and Algeria. One of the rarest skates in the Mediterranean.
• DescriptionLeucoraja melitensis takes its scientific name from Malta (Melita in Latin) and is one of the most restricted and threatened rays in the world. It exists only in the central Mediterranean, with the waters between Malta and Sicily forming a core part of its range. Listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN, with populations severely reduced by decades of bottom trawling across its limited habitat.