Ocellated electric ray

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Ocellated electric ray

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Chondrichthyes
Subclass: Elasmobranchii
Superorder: Batoidea
Order: Torpediniformes
Family: Narcinidae
Genus: Diplobatis
Species:
D. ommata
Binomial name
Diplobatis ommata
Range of the ocellated electric ray[1]
Synonyms

Discopyge ommata D. S. Jordan & Gilbert, 1890
Narcine ommata Clark, 1936

The ocellated electric ray or bullseye electric ray (Diplobatis ommata) is a

caudal fin. The ocellated electric ray is named for the distinctive large eyespot
on the middle of its disc, consisting of a black or yellow center surrounded by concentric rings. Its dorsal coloration is otherwise highly variable, ranging from plain to ornately patterned on a light to dark brown background. The front part of its disc is darker brown.

Solitary and

trawling
activity within its limited range.

Taxonomy

American

ichthyologists David Starr Jordan and Charles Henry Gilbert described the ocellated electric ray in an 1890 article for the scientific journal Proceedings of the United States National Museum. Their account was based on a female specimen caught by the United States Fish Commission steamer USS Albatross in 1888. The female was collected off the Pacific coast of Colombia at a depth of 60 m (200 ft). Gilbert had previously obtained a specimen from Panama in 1882, but it had been destroyed in a fire before it could be studied. Jordan and Gilbert named the new species ommata (Greek for "eyed") in reference to the distinctive spot on its back, and assigned it to the genus Discopyge.[2][3] In 1948, Henry Bryant Bigelow and William Charles Schroeder created the new genus Diplobatis for this species based on then-unique subdivision of its nostrils.[4] Three other species of Diplobatis have since been described from the Atlantic. The Atlantic species more closely resemble each other in morphology than they do the ocellated electric ray, though as a whole all four Diplobatis species are extremely similar.[5] Another common name for this species is "target ray".[6]

Description

The

tooth rows in each jaw. The small and pointed teeth become progressively longer and sharper towards the back, and are arranged in a quincunx pattern. Five pairs of small gill slits are present on the underside of the disc.[2][5]

The large

dermal denticles.[3][5]

The dorsal coloration of the ocellated electric ray is extremely variable, with the only constant being the large ocellus ("eyespot") in the middle of the back. The center of the ocellus is black or yellow, which is surrounded by concentric, alternating dark and light rings that may be either continuous or broken. The remainder of the upper surface is most commonly a shade of light brown with numerous fine dark dots; there may also be light dots, larger dark spots or blotches, and/or irregular brown marbling. Some individuals are plain light or dark brown with a black ocellus. The portion of the disc in front of the eyes is brown with up to five darker blotches. The dorsal pattern often extends to the ventral fin margins; the underside is otherwise white to cream-colored. This species grows up to 25 cm (9.8 in) long.[5][6]

Distribution and habitat

The ocellated electric ray is common in the

bottom-dwelling species, it has been recorded from the intertidal zone to a depth of 94 m (308 ft).[1][7] The favored habitat of this ray is sandy bays, though it can also be found over rubble bottoms, rocky terrain, and rhodolith beds.[1][6][8]

Biology and ecology

The diet of the ocellated electric ray includes shrimp.

Like the rest of its family, the ocellated electric ray can defend itself by producing a moderate

mature sexually at under 19 cm (7.5 in) long; the maturation size for males is unknown.[1]

Human interactions

The shock from the ocellated electric ray is not dangerous to humans.

trawlers. Its mortality from fishing has not been quantified but is thought to be high, considering that trawling operations in the Atlantic are known to take Diplobatis species in large numbers. The catch rate is also probably underestimated due to problematic identification. Given the restricted range of this species and the intensity of trawling within its habitat, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has assessed it as least concern.[1]

References

  1. ^
    doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T61403A124456804.en
    . Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  2. ^
    doi:10.5479/si.00963801.12-770.149
    .
  3. ^
    doi:10.5962/bhl.title.43732
    .
  4. ^ Bigelow, H.B.; Schroeder, W.C. (1948). "New genera and species of batoid fishes". Journal of Marine Research. 7: 543–566.
  5. ^ a b c d e Fechhelm, J.D.; McEachran, J.D. (1984). "A revision of the electric ray genus Diplobatis with notes on the interrelationships of Narcinidae (Chondrichthyes, Torpediniformes)". Bulletin of the Florida State Museum. 29 (5): 171–209.
  6. ^
    ISBN 1890087572
    .
  7. ^
    ISBN 0930118189
    .
  8. ISBN 0813723183
    .
  9. ^ Caira, J.N.; Burge, A.N. (2001). "Three new species of Acanthobothrium (Cestoda: Tetraphyllidea) from the ocellated electric ray, Diplobatis ommata, in the Gulf of California, Mexico". Comparative Parasitology. 68 (1): 52–65.
  10. ISBN 2914518366
    .
  11. ISBN 978-0123849328
    .

External links

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