Shagreen Ray Leucoraja fullonica - The Shark Trust

COMMON NAMES 

Shagreen Ray Leucoraja fullonica 

Shagreen Ray, Shagreen Skate, Fuller´s Ray, Fuller´s Shagreen Ray, 

Raie-Chardon, Rough Flapper, French Ray, Raie Chardon (Fr), Raya 

Cardadora (Es), Razza Spinosa (It), Kaardrog (Ne). 

SYNONYMS 

Raja fullonica (Linnaeus, 1758), Raja chagrinea (Shaw, 1804), Betaraia 

fullonica (Leigh-Sharpe, 1924). 

DISTRIBUTION 

Map base conforms with ICES grid squares. 

Text & Illustrations © Shark Trust 2009 

Dorsal View (♂) 

No Records 

Occasional 

Range 

Found in the east 

Atlantic from 

Murmansk in 

Russia to northern 

Morocco and out to 

Iceland. Also found 

in the western 

Mediterranean and 

out to the Islands of 

Madeira (Agustin, 

2009). Within 

British waters it is 

most common in 

the Celtic Sea and 

off north-western 

Scotland (CEFAS, 

2008). 

APPEARANCE 

• Maximum total length of 120cm. 

• Pronounced snout. 

• Upper surface plain ash grey. 

• Some patterning of transverse dark bands. 

Ventral View (♂) 

• White lower surface, sometimes dark under snout. 

• Rows of ~50 large thorns running down either side of midline. 

The Shagreen Ray has a rhomboid-shaped disc with sharply angled 

outer corners and an obvious, pronounced snout (Agustin, 2009). 

The teeth are arranged into 58–68 rows in the upper jaw. These are 

pointed in both sexes (Clark, 1926). 

The dorsal surface of the disc is entirely spiny with a row of 50 

larger thorns on each side of the midline from the shoulder to the first 

dorsal fin. These rows are much less prominent on older individuals as 

they wear down over time. Around the inner margin of the eye there 

is a complete row of eight thorns and there are small thorns on the 

scapular. Generally there are between three and nine thorns running 

in a longitudinal row on the upper part of the head. There are no 

thorns between the close-set dorsal fins. The majority of the ventral 

surface of the disc is prickly, with the exception of the hind two-thirds 

of the pectoral fins (Whitehead et al., 1986). 

The colouration in adults is generally plain ash grey although 

there may be variable patterningof transverse dark bands. The ventral 

surface is always white. Unusually for an elasmobranch, the largest 

recorded male is larger than the largest recorded female, being 120cm 

and 111cm respectively (Agustin, 2009). 

RJF NT MED: DD 

NE ATL MED

SIMILAR SPECIES 

Amblyraja radiata, Starry Ray 

Leucoraja circularis, Sandy Ray 

Raja clavata, Thornback Ray 

Raja microocellata, Small-eyed Ray (juv.) (not illustrated) 

Amblyraja radiata, 

Starry Skate 

Raja clavata, 

Thornback Ray 

(Not to scale) 

Supported by: 


Shagreen Ray 

Leucoraja fullonica, 

Shagreen Ray 

Leucoraja circularis, 

Sandy Ray

TEETH 


There are 58 (young)–68 (adult) 

rows of teeth in the upper jaw. 

These are pointed in both sexes 

(Clark, 1926). 

ECOLOGY & BIOLOGY 

HABITAT 

Very little is known of the ecology of the Shagreen Ray except 

that it is a demersal species found along continental shelves 

and inshore waters at depths of 30-550m (100–1,800ft) (Gibson 

et al., 2006). Records of catches from longline fisheries suggest 

that it has a preference for rough ground (Stehmann et al., 2000). 

It has been reported from Icelandic waters that a summer-time 

inshore migration occurs, more likely for feeding purposes then 

for spawning (Wheeler, 1969). Shagreen Rays are by no means 

abundant in inshore waters and are not common across any of their 

range (Ellis et al., 2004). 

DIET 

It feeds on a variety of bottom dwelling species but most probably 

prefers fish and crustaceans (Zidowitz et al., 2008). Mature 

individuals of both sexes have sharp teeth indicating no significant 

differences in diet between the genders (Stehmann et al., 2000). 

REPRODUCTION 

Very little is known of the reproduction of the Shagreen Ray 

except that it is oviparous and that the eggcases measure about 

80mm long (excluding horns) by 50mm wide (Whitehead et al., 

1986). When breeding and laying occurs, the development time 

of the embryos and the size of the young at birth has not been 

determined. 


EGGCASE 

1. ~80mm in length (excluding horns). 

2. ~50mm in width (Whitehead et al., 1986). 

Similar eggcase to the Small-eyed Ray, Raja microocellata.

COMMERCIAL IMPORTANCE 

There is no targeted fishery for the Shagreen Ray but it is caught 

and landed in multi-species trawls throughout its range and by 

longlines in the north (Gibson et al., 2006; Serena, 2005). 

THREATS, CONSERVATION, LEGISLATION 

As with most species of European skate and ray, the current trends 

and status of the population are difficult to determine. There is 

definite potential for overfishing and CEFAS surveys have not 

recorded the species in the North Sea since 1998. It is still recorded 

by Scottish surveys though in small numbers and deeper than 

expected, such as along the edge of the continental shelf at around 

200m (655ft) (Gibson et al., 2006). 

All rajids are managed under a Total Allowable Catch (TAC) 

system in EU waters. Between 1999 and 2005 the 6,060t TAC was 

reduced by 47% and by a further ~50% from 2005 to 2008 (ICES, 

2008). Originally the TAC applied only to areas IIa and IV, however in 

January 2009 the TAC was extended to include ICES divisions IIa, IIIa, 

IV, VIa-b, VIIa-k, VII and IX. The table below gives a summary of the 

TAC’s for the years 2004 to 2009. 

ICES 

Division 

2004 2005 2006 2007 2009 2009 

IIa, IV 3,503 3,220 2,737 2,190 1,643 1,643 

IIIa N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 68 

VIa-b, 

VIIa-c, 

VIIe-k 

Supported by: 

N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 15,748 

VIId N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 1,044 

VIII, IX N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 6,423 

(All figures in tons. European Union, 2009) 

Since 2008 European countries have been required to record 

most skate and ray landings by species to give a clearer picture 

of the status of populations in EU waters (ICES, 2008). Some Sea 

Fisheries Committees (SFC) around the UK have byelaws which 

stipulate a minimum disc width (DW) for landed skates and rays, 

measured from the extreme tips of the pectoral fins. The SFC’s which 

implement these and the details are shown in the table below. 

SFC DW (cm) Other 

Cumbria 45 Cannot land wings less than 22cm in 

their maximum dimension 

Kent & Essex 40 Cannot land wings less than 19cm in 


Southern 40 Cannot land wings less than 20cm in 


South Wales 45 Cannot land wings less than 22cm in 


States of 36 

Guernsey 

(Cumbria SFC, Unknown; Kent & Essex SFC, Unknown; South Wales 

SFC, Unknown; Southern SFC, 2006; NFFO, 2004) 

However, such localised management strategies are unlikely to 

be significant for the conservation of regional populations (Fowler 

et al., 2005). Many recreational anglers return any sharks, skates and 

rays they catch alive and some angling clubs have begun tag and 

release programmes (Holt, 2005). As with most European skate and 

ray species, there is very little effective management in place to 

protect the Shagreen Ray. 


IUCN RED LIST ASSESSMENT 

Near Threatened (2008). 

Data Deficient in Mediterranean. 

HANDLING AND THORN ARRANGEMENT 

• Handle with care. 

• Row of strong thorns on midline. 

• Row of thorns on head. 

• Orbital thorns. 

Shagreen Ray

REFERENCES 


AGUSTIN, L. Q. 2009. Leucoraja fullonica. Shagreen Ray. Fishbase. 

www.fishbase.org. 

CEFAS. 2008. Shagreen Skate. www.cefas.co.uk. 

CLARK, R. S. 1926. Rays and Skates: A Revision of the European 

Species. Fishery Board for Scotland. HM Stationary Office. 

Edinburgh, UK. 

CUMBRIA SFC. Unknown. Minimum Fish Sizes. www.cumbriasfc. 

org.uk. 

ELLIS, J. R., CRUZ-MARTÍNEZ, A., RACKHAM, B. D., ROGERS, S. I. 

2004. The Distribution of Chondrichthyan Fishes around the 

British Isles and Implications for Conservation. Journal of 

Northwest Atlantic Fishery Science, Vol. 35: 195-213. 

EUROPEAN UNION. 2009. Council Regulation (EC) No. 43/2009. 

Official Journal of the European Union, L22/1. www.mfa.gov.uk. 

FOWLER, S. L., CAVANAGH, R. D., CAMHI, M., BURGESS, G. H., 

CAILLIET, G. M., FORDHAM, S. V., SIMPFENDORFER, C. A., 

MUSICK, J. A. 2005. Sharks, Rays and Chimaeras: The Status of 

the Chondrichthyan Fishes. IUCN SSC Shark Specialist Group. 

IUCN Publications. Cambridge, UK. 

GIBSON, C., VALENTI, S. V., FOWLER, S. L., FORDHAM, S. V. 2006. The 

Conservation Status of Northeast Atlantic Chondrichthyans; 

Report of the IUCN Shark Specialist Group Northeast Atlantic 

Regional Red List Workshop. VIII + 76pp. IUCN SSC Shark 

Specialist Group. 

HOLT, D. 2005 Common Skate Tagging Programme. The Scottish 

Angling Homepage: www.catchalot.co.uk. 

ICES. 2008. Demersal elasmobranches in the North Sea (Subarea 

IV), Skagerrak (Division IIIa), and eastern English Channel 

(Division VIId). ICES advice 2008, Book 6. 

KENT & ESSEX SFC. Unknown. Minimum Fish Sizes. www. 

kentandessex-sfc.co.uk. 

NFFO. 2004. Official Yearbook and Diary. Grimsby, UK. 

SERENA, F. 2005. Field Identification Guide to the Sharks and Rays 

of the Mediterranean and Black Sea. FAO. Rome, Italy. 

SOUTH WALES SFC. Unknown. Byelaws. www.swsfc.org.uk. 

SOUTHERN SFC. 2006. Minimum Landings Sizes. www.southernsfc. 

org.uk. 

STEHMANN, M., BÜRKEL, L. 2000. Field Key to Common skate 

Species (Raja spp.) in Northern EC Shelf Waters. Grafik Design 

Studio GmbH. Hamburg, Germany. 


WHEELER, A. 1969. The Fishes of the British Isles and North-West 

Europe. Macmillan and Co Ltd. London, UK. 

WHITEHEAD, P. J. P., BAUCHOT, M. L., HUREAU, J. C., NIELSEN, J., 

TORTONESE, E. (Eds.). 1986. Fishes of the Northeast Atlantic and 

Mediterranean. UNESCO. Paris, France. 

ZIDOWITZ, H., GEORGE, M., FORDHAM, S., KULLANDER, S. O., 

PELCZARSKI, W. 2008. Sharks in the Baltic: Distribution, Use and 

Conservation of Cartilaginous Fishes in the Baltic Sea. The Shark 

Alliance. www.sharkalliance.org. 

Text: Richard Hurst. 

Illustrations: Marc Dando. 

Citation 

Shark Trust; 2009. An Illustrated Compendium of Sharks, Skates, Rays 

and Chimaera. Chapter 1: The British Isles. Part 1: Skates and Rays. 

Any ammendments or corrections, please contact: 

The Shark Trust 

4 Creykes Court, The Millfields 

Plymouth, Devon PL1 3JB 

Tel: 01752 672008/672020 

Email: enquiries@sharktrust.org 

For more ID materials visit www.sharktrust.org/ID. 

Registered Company No. 3396164. 

Registered Charity No. 1064185

Shagreen Ray Leucoraja fullonica - The Shark Trust

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