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Hemitrygon akajei (Müller & Henle, 1841)

Whip stingray
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Hemitrygon akajei   AquaMaps   Data sources: GBIF OBIS
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Image of Hemitrygon akajei (Whip stingray)
Hemitrygon akajei
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Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Elasmobranchii (sharks and rays) > Myliobatiformes (Stingrays) > Dasyatidae (Stingrays) > Dasyatinae
Eponymy: The original description has no etymology but, though the binomial looks as if it could be an eponym, it is merely a translation: aka is Japanese for red, referring to its bright orange-red underside and jei is Japanese for ray/skate. (Ref. 128868), visit book page.
More on authors: Müller & Henle.

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Marine; brackish; demersal; oceanodromous (Ref. 51243); depth range 10 - 50 m (Ref. 114953). Subtropical; 43°N - 23°N (Ref. 114953)

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

Northwest Pacific: central China to northern Japan.

Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm 44.0  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 200 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 637); common length : 100.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 637); max. published weight: 10.7 kg (Ref. 40637)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Disc rhomboid, anterior margin straight, posterior margin convex. Snout triangular and slightly produced. dorsal keel present on tail. Adults with small spines on disc and posterior part of tail. Brown dorsally and some with orangish pectoral fin margins, in front of eyes, behind spiracles, on the sides of the tail just anterior to the sting. Ventrum orangish red.

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Found in coral reefs and estuarine areas, on sand and mud bottoms (Ref. 12951, 11230). Feeds on small fishes and crustaceans (Ref. 9840). Ovoviviparous with litters of only 1 pup (Ref. 114953) while earlier estimates indicated production of up to 10 in a litter (Ref. 12951). Caught occasionally by bottom trawl fisheries operating inshore. Utilized for its meat but of limited value due to its small size (Ref.58048). Served in 'miso' soup, hard boiled with seasonings, or for 'kamaboko' material (Ref. 637).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Exhibit ovoviparity (aplacental viviparity), with embryos feeding initially on yolk, then receiving additional nourishment from the mother by indirect absorption of uterine fluid enriched with mucus, fat or protein through specialised structures (Ref. 50449). Distinct pairing with embrace (Ref. 205).

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator : McEachran, John | Collaborators

Last, P.R., W.T. White, M.R. de Carvalho, B. Séret, M.F.W. Stehmann and G.J.P. Naylor, 2016. Rays of the world. CSIRO Publishing, Comstock Publishing Associates. i-ix + 1-790. (Ref. 114953)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)

  Near Threatened (NT) (A2bd); Date assessed: 27 August 2019

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Venomous (Ref. 637)





Human uses

Fisheries: commercial; gamefish: yes; aquarium: commercial
FAO - Fisheries: landings; Publication: search | FishSource | Sea Around Us

More information

Trophic ecology
Food items
Diet composition
Food consumption
Food rations
Predators
Ecology
Ecology
Population dynamics
Growth parameters
Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
Length-frequencies
Mass conversion
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Maturity
Maturity/Gills rel.
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Distribution
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Anatomy
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Otolith
Physiology
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Nutrients
Oxygen consumption
Swimming type
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Visual pigments
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Diseases & Parasites
Toxicity (LC50s)
Genetics
Genetics
Heterozygosity
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References

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Internet sources

AFORO (otoliths) | Aquatic Commons | BHL | Cloffa | BOLDSystems | Websites from users | Check FishWatcher | CISTI | Catalog of Fishes: genus, species | DiscoverLife | ECOTOX | FAO - Fisheries: landings; Publication: search | Faunafri | Fishipedia | Fishtrace | GenBank: genome, nucleotide | GloBI | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | IGFA World Record | MitoFish | National databases | Otolith Atlas of Taiwan Fishes | PubMed | Reef Life Survey | Socotra Atlas | Tree of Life | Wikipedia: Go, Search | World Records Freshwater Fishing | Zoological Record

Estimates based on models

Preferred temperature (Ref. 123201): 21.4 - 29, mean 28.1 °C (based on 510 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804):  PD50 = 0.5010   [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00468 (0.00195 - 0.01123), b=3.12 (2.92 - 3.32), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref. 93245).
Trophic level (Ref. 69278):  3.8   ±0.58 se; based on food items.
Resilience (Ref. 120179):  Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (K=0.1; Fec=1).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153):  Very high vulnerability (90 of 100).
Climate Vulnerability (Ref. 125649):  Very high vulnerability (87 of 100).
Price category (Ref. 80766):   Medium.