Maskray
| Maskrays | |
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| Neotrygon kuhlii | |
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| Genus: | Neotrygon Castelnau, 1873
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| Type species | |
| Raya trigonoides Castelnau, 1873
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Neotrygon is a genus of stingrays in the family Dasyatidae commonly known as the Maskrays, native to the Indo-West Pacific. They are so named because of a distinctive color pattern around their eyes, resembling a mask. The species in this genus were originally placed in the genus Dasyatis by most authors. However, recent morphological and molecular analyses have conclusively showed that they represent a distinct group and so the genus Neotrygon was resurrected for them.[1]
Aside from their mask-like color pattern, the maskrays are variable in coloration and can be plain or ornate. Their pectoral fin discs are largely smooth, with a single row of thorns along the dorsal midline. The mouth is small with two central papillae and a row of enlarged, long-cusped teeth halfway along the upper jaw on both sides. The nasal curtain, formed by the merging of the nasal flaps, is long and narrow. The tail is very short with well-developed dorsal and ventral fin folds and a filamentous tip, and is banded black and white past the stinging spine. In addition, Neotrygon species also differ from other stingrays in their buccal and skeletal morphology, as well as in the CO1 gene.[1]
Species
There are currently 9 recognized species in this genus:
- Neotrygon annotata (Last, 1987) (Plain maskray)
- Neotrygon australiae Last, W. T. White & Séret, 2016 (Australian bluespotted maskray) [2]
- Neotrygon caeruleopunctata Last, W. T. White & Séret, 2016 (Bluespotted maskray) [2]
- Neotrygon kuhlii (J. P. Müller & Henle, 1841) (Blue-spotted stingray)
- Neotrygon leylandi (Last, 1987) (Painted maskray)
- Neotrygon ningalooensis Last, W. T. White & Puckridge, 2010 (Ningaloo maskray)
- Neotrygon orientale Last, W. T. White & Séret, 2016 (Oriental bluespotted maskray) [2]
- Neotrygon picta Last & W. T. White, 2008 (Peppered maskray)
- Neotrygon trigonoides (Castelnau, 1873) (New Caledonian maskray)
- Neotrygon varidens (Garman, 1885) [2]
References
- ^ a b "Resurrection of the genus Neotrygon Castelnau (Myliobatoidei: Dasyatidae) with the description of Neotrygon picta sp. nov., a new species from northern Australia. In: Last, P.R., White, W.T. & Pogonoski, J.J (Eds.), Descriptions of New Australian Chondrichthyans" (PDF). CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research. Paper 022: 315–325. 2008.
{{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter|authors=ignored (help) - ^ a b c d Last, P.R., White, W.T. & Séret, B. (2016): Taxonomic status of maskrays of the Neotrygon kuhlii species complex (Myliobatoidei: Dasyatidae) with the description of three new species from the Indo-West Pacific. Zootaxa, 4083 (4): 533–561.