Banded stingaree
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Banded stingaree | |
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| Banded stingaree at the Bicheno Dive Centre, Tasmania | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Chondrichthyes |
| Order: | Rajiformes |
| Family: | Urolophidae |
| Genus: | Urolophus |
| Species: | U. cruciatus |
| Binomial name | |
| Urolophus cruciatus (Lacépède, 1804) |
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| Synonyms | |
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Raja cruciata Lacepède, 1804 |
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The banded stingaree or crossback stingaree, Urolophus cruciatus, is a species of stingray in the family Urolophidae. It is endemic to southeastern Australia, occurring from Tathra, New South Wales, off Victoria and Tasmania, to as far east as Beachport, South Australia. The population around Tasmania prefers very shallow, muddy flats in estuaries and bays, while those off southern Australia are usually found deeper than 25 meters (80 ft). This species is also found on rocky reefs and the upper continental slope, and has been recorded as deep as 160 meters (520 ft).[1][2] The name cruciatus is Latin for "cross-like", referring to the distinctive markings on its back.[3]
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[edit] Description
The banded stingaree attains a maximum known length of 50 cm (20 in).[2] The rounded pectoral fin disk is wider than it is long, with straight front margins and a short, blunt snout. The tail is shorter than the disk, bearing a serrated spine and ending in a small caudal fin. The skin lacks dermal denticles. The coloration is a uniform yellow to brown above, with crisscrossing blackish bands.[4]
[edit] Biology and ecology
This ray is often found buried in the substrate, immobile unless disturbed.[2] When threatened, it will raise its tail above its body in a scorpion-like fashion to warn off predators.[5] It has been known to form groups of varying size, sometimes mixing with other stingaree species.[3] The banded stingaree feeds mainly on isopods and polychaete worms. Reproduction is ovoviviparous; females enter large estuaries, such as at the mouth of the Derwent River, and give birth to 2-4 young. The newborns measure 10-11 cm (3.9-4.3 in) long and are more brilliantly patterned than the adults.[1][3] This species matures at 6 years of age, at a length of 24-30 cm (9.4-11.8 in). The maximum lifespan is at least 11 years.[1]
At the northern extent of its range, the banded stingaree appears to regularly hybridize with the yellowback stingaree (U. sufflavus); the offspring are intermediate in color pattern between the two. This represents one of the few known cases of hybridization amongst cartilaginous fishes. In a 2007 study of 388 fishes, these two species were the only two that could not be distinguished on the basis of their cytochrome c gene sequences, attesting to a close evolutionary relationship.[6]
[edit] Relationship to humans
The banded stingaree is common across most of its range and is assessed as of Least Concern by the World Conservation Union. It is caught as bycatch in otter trawls and gillnets in some parts of its range, such as off New South Wales; it is not fished in the Bass Strait or off western Tasmania. The effect of Tasmanian inshore fisheries on this species is yet unknown, though it is unlikely to be significant.[1]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e Treloar, M.A. (2005). Urolophus cruciatus. In: IUCN 2005. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on March 22, 2009.
- ^ a b c "Urolophus cruciatus". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. March 2009 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2009.
- ^ a b c Aitken, K. (2002). Cross-back Stingaree (Urolophus cruciatus). Marine Themes Stock Photo Library. Retrieved on March 22, 2009.
- ^ Linnean Society of New South Wales (1882). The Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales (Vol. VI). The Society.
- ^ Martin, R.A. and Rekdal, E. (2006). "'Hedgehog': a novel defensive posture in juvenile Amblyraja radiata". Journal of Fish Biology 68: 613–617.
- ^ Ward, R.D. and Holmes, B.H. (2007). "An analysis of nucleotide and amino acid variability in the barcode region of cytochrome c oxidase I (cox1) in fishes". Molecular Ecology Notes 7: 899–907.
