Elasmobranchii (sharks and rays) > Myliobatiformes
(Stingrays) > Dasyatidae
Etymology: Dasyatis: Greek, dasys = rough, dense (Ref. 45335).
Environment / Climate / Range
Marine; freshwater; brackish; demersal; depth range ? - 25 m (Ref. 55207), usually 2 - 6 m (Ref. 55207). Subtropical; 39°N - 17°N, 100°W - 75°W (Ref. 55207)
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 61.0 cm WD male/unsexed; (Ref. 6902); common length : 27.0 cm WD male/unsexed; (Ref. 6902); common length :39 cm WD (female); max. published weight: 4.9 kg (Ref. 40637)
Morphology | Morphometrics
Prominent triangular snout. Broadly rounded outer corners of disc. Upper surface brown or yellowish brown, paler toward margins of disc. Lower surface white (Ref. 6902). Few scapular spines. Middorsal row of spines present, but few on tail beyond pelvic fins (Ref. 7251).
Western Atlantic: Chesapeake Bay to southern Florida in the USA and the Gulf of Mexico. Records from South America doubtful (Ref. 7251).
Inhabits coastal waters, including estuaries and lagoons (Ref. 12951). Ascends rivers (Ref. 12951). Feeds on tube anemones, polychaete worms, small crustaceans, clams, and serpent stars (Ref. 12951). Ovoviviparous (Ref. 50449).
Robins, C.R. and G.C. Ray, 1986. A field guide to Atlantic coast fishes of North America. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, U.S.A. 354 p.
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 90363)
CITES (Ref. 94142)
Threat to humans
Fisheries: of no interest
ReferencesAquacultureAquaculture profileStrainsGeneticsAllele frequenciesHeritabilityDiseasesProcessingMass conversion
Estimates of some properties based on empirical models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82805
= 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Trophic Level (Ref. 69278
): 3.5 ±0.42 se; Based on food items.
Resilience (Ref. 69278
): Very Low, minimum population doubling time more than 14 years (K=0.26-0.31; Fec assumed <10).
Vulnerability (Ref. 59153
): Very high vulnerability (76 of 100) .