Stingray
| Stingrays Temporal range:
| |
|---|---|
| Southern stingray (Hypanus americanus) | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Chondrichthyes |
| Subclass: | Elasmobranchii |
| Order: | Myliobatiformes |
| Suborder: | Compagno, 1973 |
| Families | |
| |
Stingrays are a group of sea rays, a type of cartilaginous fish. They are classified in the suborder Myliobatoidei of the order Myliobatiformes and consist of eight families: Hexatrygonidae (sixgill stingray), Plesiobatidae (deepwater stingray), Urolophidae (stingarees), Urotrygonidae (round rays), Dasyatidae (whiptail stingrays), Potamotrygonidae (river stingrays), Gymnuridae (butterfly rays) and Myliobatidae (eagle rays).[2][3] There are about 220 known stingray species organized into 29 genera.
Stingrays are common in coastal tropical and subtropical marine waters throughout the world. Some species, such as the thorntail stingray (Dasyatis thetidis), are found in warmer temperate oceans and others, such as the deepwater stingray (Plesiobatis daviesi), are found in the deep ocean. The river stingrays and a number of whiptail stingrays (such as the Niger stingray (Fontitrygon garouaensis)) are restricted to fresh water. Most myliobatoids are demersal (inhabiting the next-to-lowest zone in the water column), but some, such as the pelagic stingray and the eagle rays, are pelagic.[4]
Stingray species are progressively becoming threatened or vulnerable to extinction, particularly as a consequence of unregulated fishing.[5] As of 2013, 45 species have been listed as vulnerable or endangered by the IUCN. The status of some other species is poorly known, leading to their being listed as data deficient.[6]
- ^ Marmi, Josep; Vila #, Bernat; Oms, Oriol; Galobart, Àngel; Cappetta, Henri (18 May 2010). "Oldest records of stingray spines (Chondrichthyes, Myliobatiformes)". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 30 (3): 970–974. Bibcode:2010JVPal..30..970M. doi:10.1080/02724631003758011.
- ^ Nelson JS (2006). Fishes of the World (fourth ed.). John Wiley. pp. 76–82. ISBN 978-0-471-25031-9.
- ^ Helfman GS, Collette BB, Facey DE (1997). The Diversity of Fishes. Blackwell Science. p. 180. ISBN 978-0-86542-256-8.
- ^ Bester C, Mollett HF, Bourdon J (2017-05-09). "Pelagic Stingray". Florida Museum of Natural History, Ichthyology department. Archived from the original on 2016-01-15. Retrieved 2009-09-29.
- ^ The Future of Sharks: A Review of Action and Inaction Archived 2013-05-12 at the Wayback Machine CITES AC25 Inf. 6, 2011.
- ^ "Shuffling into Stingray Conservation". 13 July 2020. Retrieved May 20, 2025.