| Family: |
Dasyatidae (Stingrays), subfamily: Hypolophinae |
| Max. size: |
74.7 cm WD (male/unsexed); 83 cm WD (female) |
| Environment: |
benthopelagic; marine; depth range - 60 m |
| Distribution: |
Western Pacific: This species is reasonably common but patchily distributed in both Malaysian and Indonesian Borneo, including Sabah, Sarawak, and western and northeastern Kalimantan. Possibly more widespread in the Indo-Malay Archipelago, east to at least the Wallace Line and the the identity of a specimen collected off Beruwala (Sri Lanka) needs confirmation. |
| Diagnosis: |
This medium-sized species (attaining about 75 cm DW) is distinguished by the following set of characters: snout rounded, not produced, angle more than 115°, apex largely naked and lacking enlarged denticles; disc length 83-89% DW; head length 38-41% DW; preoral length 15-17% DW; distance between nostrils 7-8% DW; distance between first gill slits 18-20% DW; tail compressed above mid-base of ventral cutaneous fold, its width 0.5-0.8 times its height; ventral fold low and slender, length 0.7-1.0 times DW, 17-22 times its depth below its mid-base, depth 2.0-3.6 times tail height at its mid-base; distance from anterior cloaca to sting 0.8-1 in precloacal length; two large, midscapular pearl thorns, usually preceded by a smaller irregular thorn; 120-122 pectoral-fin radials; monospondylous vertebral centra (exc. synarcual) 37-40 (Ref. 84288). |
| Biology: |
The depth occupied by this species is unknown as most material were collected in fish markets, but probably mainly coastal. A 69.5 cm DW adult male weighed ca 12 kg. Size at birth apparently variable; 83.0 cm DW female delivered a full term embryo with small umbilical scar; however, other retained specimens, 26.1 cm DW still had a substantial yolk sac, while in another 19.3 cm DW specimen the umbilical scar was barely visible. All these young specimens have large mid-scapular tubercles and well-developed denticles over most of the dorsal disc; a small embryo with yolk sac (16.5 cm DW) had prominent mid-scapular tubercles, but other denticles are just starting to form on the disc (Ref. 84288). |
| IUCN Red List Status: |
Endangered (EN); Date assessed: 19 May 2020 (A2d) Ref. (130435)
|
| Threat to humans: |
harmless |
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