Is the world starting to wake up?

[Harold]

• Starry Ray - Raja Radiata
• Indian Ray - Raja of Bombay
• Catcha Ray - Raja get that from?
• Some chance!

 

[ 22 March 2002, 10:38 PM: Message edited by: Harold ]

[Davy Holt]

Hiya,

 

newt... this is a common skate (dipturus batis) nee raja batis and not raja clavata which is the Thornback ray, one of the many things dipturus batis likes to eat

 

[Newt]

Nice pic and GREAT FISH Davy. Thanx.

[Dan]

Sod the ray's, where can I catch a halibut?! I've always fancied (in a food sort of way!)a 100lb plaice.

(Smoked halibut? Hmmmm that'd soon fill up the smoker!)

 

Dan

 

Dan

[Newt]

Dan - Alaska does nice ones.

 

This little fella went a bit over 7'.

 

[Davy Holt]

Hiya,

 

Newt.. I've just received a mail explaining why the name change.. here goes

 

All skates traditionally were zsplit in to a whole bunch of

subspecies, e.g. Raja [dipturus] batis. However, a recent

reexamination of the degree of difference among each skate subgenus

was sufficient to result in them being known as the names they have

now.

 

This all might seem to be an arcane thing to do, it is - but what you

have to realise is that there is no fixed definition of what level

of differences are required to be put in to separate species, genera,

families etc. The probalem is particularyly bad for mega diverse

groups, such as skates. Up to last year there were 230 known species,

but by the end of last year a whole bunch of taxonomists got round

to looking at the harder trawl sample and they reckon it would be

easy to name about 70 more species.

[Newt]

Thanks for the update Davy.

 

Do you ever get the feeling the taxonomists fear they will be out of work if they don't manage to keep re-classifying critters.

[Davy Holt]

Hiya,

 

Yup Newt.. thats the feeling I got... I dont see how renaming one will make it easier to name new species.