Chinese stingray

Chinese stingray
Conservation status
Data Deficient (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Chondrichthyes
Order:	Myliobatiformes
Family:	Dasyatidae
Genus:	Dasyatis
Species:	D. sinensis
Binomial name
Dasyatis sinensis (Steindachner, 1892)
Synonyms
Trygon sinensis Steindachner, 1892

The Chinese stingray, Dasyatis sinensis, is a little-known species of stingray in the family Dasyatidae, found in the northwestern Pacific Ocean off the coasts of China and Korea. This species is characterized by a band of small dermal denticles running along the upper surface of its diamond-shaped pectoral fin disc, from the snout to the tail spine. It can grow to 40 cm (16 in) across and 82 cm (32 in) long. The Chinese stingray is taken incidentally in bottom trawls and is one of the three most commonly marketed stingrays in China. At present, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) does not have sufficient information to assess its conservation status beyond Data Deficient.

Taxonomy

The Chinese stingray was originally described as Trygon sinensis by Austrian Franz Steindachner, in a 1892 volume of the scientific journal Denkschriften der Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftlichen Classe der Kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften in Wien.^[2] Subsequent authors synonymized the genus Trygon with Dasyatis. The type specimen is a male 38 cm (15 in) across, collected from Shanghai, China.^[3]

Distribution and habitat

The Chinese stingray has been recorded along the coasts of China and Korea in the Yellow, Bohai, and East China Seas. Found on or near the bottom, this species apparently inhabits cold, inshore waters less than 200 m (660 ft) deep.^[1]

Description

The pectoral fin disc of the Chinese stingray is diamond-shaped and almost as long as wide, with slightly convex leading and trailing margins. The snout is triangular and projecting, comprising a quarter of the disc length. The eyes are of moderate size and closely followed by a pair of spiracles. The mouth is bow-shaped and contains five papillae on the floor, consisting of an anterior row of three and a posterior row of two. The tooth rows number 37 in the upper jaw and 40 in the lower jaw; the teeth of adult males are pointed, while those of juveniles and females are blunt.^[2][3]

The whip-like tail measures not quite twice the length of the disc and bears both dorsal and ventral fin folds behind a stinging tail spine; the ventral fold measures less than half as long as the disc.^[2][3] Some individuals lack a tail spine.^[4] The dorsal surface is roughened by a band of small dermal denticles, extending from the snout to the base of the tail. This species is gray above, lightening to yellowish towards the fin margins, and lighter below.^[3] The Chinese stingray attains a disc width of 40 cm (16 in), and a total length of 82 cm (32 in) for males and 73 cm (29 in) for females.^[1]

Biology and ecology

Little is known of the Chinese stingray's natural history.^[1] It is presumably aplacental viviparous like other members of its family.^[5]

Human interactions

The Chinese stingray is often caught incidentally in bottom trawls along the Chinese coast and marketed for human consumption, though it is of low value. It is one of the three most common stingray species sold in China.^[1] This species is subject to intense fishing pressure within its range, but specific utilization or population data is lacking, exacerbated by the difficulty of accurately identifying stingray species. Therefore, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed the Chinese stingray as Data Deficient.^[1]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Wang, Y., D. Ebert, B. Samiengo, and C. Vidthayanon (2007). Dasyatis sinensis. In: IUCN 2008. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on January 8, 2010.
2. ^ ^{a b c} Steindachner, F. (1892). "Über einige neue und seltene Fischarten aus der ichthyologischen sammlung des k. k. naturhistorischen Hofmuseums". Denkschriften der Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftlichen Classe der Kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften in Wien 59: 357–384. 
3. ^ ^{a b c d} Nishida, K. and K. Nakaya (1990). "Taxonomy of the genus Dasyatis (Elasmobranchii, Dasyatididae) from the North Pacific." in Pratt, H.L., S.H. Gruber and T. Taniuchi. Elasmobranchs as living resources: advances in the biology, ecology, systematics, and behaviour, and the status of fisheries. NOAA Technical Report, NMFS 90. pp. 327–346.
4. ^ Schwartz, F.J. (January 31, 2007). "Tail spine characteristics of stingrays (Order Myliobatiformes) frequenting the FAO fishing area 61 (20°N 120°E – 50°N 150°E) of the Northwest Pacific Ocean". The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology Supplement 14: 121–130. 
5. ^ Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2010). "Dasyatis sinensis" in FishBase. January 2010 version.