Dasyatis say, Bluntnose Stingray [+]
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Elasmobranchii
Order Myliobatiformes
Family Dasyatidae
Genus Dasyatis
species: Dasyatis say [+ITIS +WoRMS]
|
← Previous Photo | Next Photo → |
Description & Behavior
The bluntnose stingray, Dasyatis say (Lesueur, 1817), is a beautiful mid-sized ray that measures up to 100 cm in length from the short, blunt snout to the end of the body and weighs about 20 kg. The disk has rounded corners, few tubercles and spines along the midline. There is a fold on the upper and lower surface of the tail. They are yellow or light brown on the dorsal side, white on the ventral side.
World Range & Habitat
The bluntnose stingray is found in the western Atlantic: from New Jersey, USA and the northern Gulf of Mexico to southern Brazil, including the Antilles. Inhabits coastal waters, close to shore in depths of about 10 m.
Feeding Behavior (Ecology)
This species feeds mainly on bivalves and worms but also eats shrimps, crabs, and small fishes. They feed by flapping their wings to create depressions in the sand, which exposes invertebrates and small fishes. Their predators include the bull shark.
Life History
The bluntnose stingray is ovoviviparous, reproducing via internal fertilization. There is a distinct pairing with embrace; the male mounts the female on the dorsal side.
Ovoviviparous: eggs are retained within the body of the female in a brood chamber where the embryo develops, receiving nourishment from a yolk sac. This is the method of reproduction for the "live-bearing" fishes where pups hatch from egg capsules inside the mother's uterus and are born soon afterward. Also known as aplacental viviparous.
Conservation Status/Additional Comments
The bluntnose stingray is found near cleaning stations where they are attended to by the bluehead wrasse and Spanish hogfish. They have a well-developed serrated spine and are capable of inflicting a painful laceration. They have been known to cause injury to swimmers.
References & Further Research
BioOne ~ CITES ~ Discover Life ~ GBIF ~ Google Scholar ~ ITIS ~ IUCN RedList ~ MarineBio Network ~ NCBI ~ SCIRIS ~ SIRIS ~ Tree of Life Web Project ~ Wikipedia
Search the Web for Bluntnose Stingray » ARKive ~ Ask.com ~ Ask Jeeves ~ bing ~ deviantART ~ dmoz ~ Dogpile ~ Google Images ~ MySpace Images ~ OceanFootage ~ Picsearch ~ StumbleUpon ~ Yahoo! Images ~ YouTube
