Colares stingray
| Colares stingray | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Chondrichthyes |
| Subclass: | Elasmobranchii |
| Superorder: | Batoidea |
| Order: | Myliobatiformes |
| Family: | Dasyatidae |
| Genus: | Fontitrygon |
| Species: | F. colarensis
|
| Binomial name | |
| Fontitrygon colarensis | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Dasyatis colarensis | |
The Colares stingray, Fontitrygon colarensis, is a
artisanal and commercial fisheries; these pressures coupled with its small range and slow reproductive rate has led the International Union for Conservation of Nature
(IUCN) to list this species as critically endangered.
Taxonomy
The Colares stingray was described by Hugo Santos, Ulisses Gomes, and Patricia Charvet-Almeida in 2004, in the
type specimen, a 2.07 m (6.8 ft) long mature male, was caught.[2]
Distribution and habitat
The range of the Colares stingray appears restricted to the mouth of the
rainy season it leaves the bays and shifts offshore.[1]
Description
The Colares stingray has a diamond-shaped
papillae in a transverse row on the floor of the mouth, which may have forked tips. The pelvic fins are triangular, with the pointed tips extending past the disk. The tail is long and whip-like, measuring more than twice the disk length. A stinging spine with 69–70 serrations and sometimes a low keel are positioned on top of the tail, while a low fin fold runs underneath.[2][4]
Small, flattened tubercles are randomly arranged along the dorsal midline from the base of the tail to between the eyes, thinning out towards the tip of the snout. Females also have tubercles on the underside. The dorsal coloration is a uniform light brown, becoming darker on the tail and
claspers (in males), and with a light trailing margin on the pelvic fins. The underside is pale, darkening towards the fin margins. Males reach 2.07 m (6.8 ft) long and 63 cm (25 in) across, while females reach 2.61 m (8.6 ft) long and 91 cm (36 in) across.[2][4]
Biology and ecology
Like other stingrays, the Colares stingray is
aplacental viviparous; only recently impregnated females can be found inshore, suggesting that the annual movements of this species may relate to reproduction. Observed litter sizes range from 1 to 4, and the reproductive cycle may last one year.[1]
Human interactions
The
Brazilian state of Pará began to fish directly for this species in the 2000s, with their catches exported to Europe.[1] The IUCN has recommended that Brazil implement habitat conservation and fishery management schemes.[1]
References
- ^ . Retrieved 15 November 2021.
- ^ a b c Santos, H.; U. Gomes & P. Charvet-Almeida (2004). "A new species of whiptail stingray of the genus Dasyatis Rafinesque, 1810 from the Southwestern Atlantic Ocean (Chodrichthyes: Myliobatiformes: Dasyatidae)". Zootaxa. 492: 1–12.
- ^ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2009). "Dasyatis colarensis" in FishBase. November 2009 version.
- ^ a b Santos, H.; P. Charvet-Almeida (2007). "Description of females of the stingray Dasyatis colarensis Santos, Gomes & Charvet-Almeida, 2004 (Chondrichthyes: Myliobatiformes: Dasyatidae)". Arquivos do Museu Nacional, Rio de Janeiro. 65 (1): 19–25.