Bathyraja papilionifera, Atlantic Butterfly Skate

Abstract

The Atlantic Butterfly Skate (Bathyraja papilionifera) is a medium-sized (to 150 cm total length) deep-water skate that occurs in the Southwest Atlantic from Uruguay to southern Patagonia, Argentina, and the Falkland Islands (Malvinas). It inhabits continental and insular slopes at depths of 637?2,000 m. This species is captured incidentally on longline and rarely in deep-water demersal trawl fisheries. Although such fisheries are intense in some parts of its range, this species is largely beyond depths at which fishing currently occurs and thus has refuge. There are no other known potential threats and the population is suspected to be stable. Therefore, the Atlantic Butterfly Skate is assessed as Least Concern.