Striped Stingaree, Trygonoptera ovalis Last & Gomon 1987


Other Names: Bight Stingaree

A Striped Stingaree, Trygonoptera ovalis, at Woodman Point, Coogee, Western Australia, February 2020. Source: jmartincrossley / iNaturalist.org. License: CC By Attribution-NonCommercial

Summary:
A greyish to greyish-brown stingaree with dark markings below, in front of, and between the eyes, and often a dark stripe on the snout (obvious on juveniles), a pair of sometimes indistinct dark patches on the disc extending as stripes along the disc and tail, a pale midline pale, and a greyish to black caudal fin. The underside is white to yellow with dark margins on the disc and pelvic fins.

Cite this page as:
Bray, D.J. 2022, Trygonoptera ovalis in Fishes of Australia, accessed 29 Mar 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/1677

Striped Stingaree, Trygonoptera ovalis Last & Gomon 1987

More Info


Distribution

Endemic to Western Australia, from  Eucla, Great Australian Bight, to the Houtman Abrolhos.
Inhabits seagrass beds and sandy areas adjacent to reefs.

Features

Disc almost oval, slightly longer than wide; broadest part 1 to 3 eye diameters behind level of spiracles; anterior profile obtuse. Snout fleshy, tip not extended. Eye of moderate size, 17-22% preocular snout length. Posterior margin of spiracle rounded or angular. Mouth small; about 4 minute papillae on floor. Internasal flap skirt- shaped, posterior angle not extended into distinct lobe. Posterolateral border of nostril forming a broad flattened and fleshy lobe. Tail broad, rounded in cross-section; of moderate length, 75-100% disc length; lateral cutaneous folds absent; dorsal fin small; caudal fin relatively large, lanceolate.

Colour

Dorsal surface greyish to greyish-brown; dark markings below, in front of and between eyes; often with a dark stripe extending to snout tip (obvious on juveniles); paired dark patches near centre of disc extending as stripes posteriorly along disc and tail, sometimes darkish areas obscure; pale along midline. Caudal fin greyish or black. Ventral surface white or yellow; tail and margins of disc and pelvic fins mostly dark.

Etymology

The specific name is from the Latin ovalis (= oval), in reference to the distinctive almost oval disc of this species.

Species Citation

Trygonoptera ovalis Last & Gomon 1987, Memoirs of Museum Victoria 48(1): 63, fig. 1. Type locality: South of Red Rocks Point, Great Australian Bight, Western Australia, 32°24'S, 127°30'E, depth 30 m. 

Author

Bray, D.J. 2022

Resources

Atlas of Living Australia

Striped Stingaree, Trygonoptera ovalis Last & Gomon 1987

References


Gomon, M.F., Yearsley, G.K. & Last, P.R. 2008. Family Urolophidae. 125-137 pp. in Gomon, M.F., Bray, D.J. & Kuiter, R.H. (eds). Fishes of Australia's Southern Coast. Sydney : Reed New Holland 928 pp. 

Hoschke, A., Whisson, G. & Moore, G.I. 2019. Complete list of fishes from Rottnest Island. pp. 150-161 in Whisson, G. & Hoschke, A. (eds) The Rottnest Island fish book. 2nd ed. Perth : Aqua Research and Monitoring Services.

Hutchins, J.B. 1979. A guide to the marine fishes of Rottnest Island. Perth : Creative Research 103 pp. 

Hutchins, J.B. & Swainston, R. 1986. Sea Fishes of Southern Australia. Complete field guide for anglers and divers. Perth : Swainston Publishing 180 pp. 

Hutchins, J.B. & Thompson, M. 1983. The Marine and Estuarine Fishes of South-western Australia. Perth : Western Australian Museum 103 pp. 345 figs. 

Kuiter, R.H. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. A comprehensive reference for divers and fishermen. Sydney, NSW, Australia : New Holland Publishers xvii, 434 pp.

Last, P.R & Gomon, M.F. 1987. New Australian fishes. Part 15. New species of Trygonoptera and Urolophus (Urolophidae). Memoirs of Museum Victoria 48(1): 63-72. https://doi.org/10.24199/j.mmv.1987.48.15

Last, P.R. & Gomon, M.F. 1994. Family Urolophidae. pp. 172-181 figs 150-159 in Gomon, M.F., Glover, C.J.M. & Kuiter, R.H. (eds). The Fishes of Australia's South Coast. Adelaide : State Printer 992 pp. 810 figs. 

Last, P.R. & Stevens, J.D. 1994. Sharks and Rays of Australia. Canberra : CSIRO Australia 513 pp. 84 pls. 

Last, P.R. & Stevens, J.D. 2009. Sharks and Rays of Australia. Collingwood : CSIRO Publishing Australia 2, 550 pp.

Last, P.R., Yearsley, G.K. & White, W.T. 2016. Family Urolophidae, pp. 676-705 in Last, P.R., White, W.T., de Carvalho, M.R., Séret, B., Stehmann, M.F.W. & & Naylor, G.J.P. (eds) Rays of the World. Melbourne: CSIRO Publishing, 800 pp.

Yearsley, G.K. & Last, P.R. 2016. A new genus of stingarees (Myliobatiformes: Urolophidae) with comments on other urolophid genera and an annotated checklist of species, in Last, P.R. & Yearsley, G.K. (eds) Rays of the World: Supplementary information. CSIRO Special Publication: 1–10.

Quick Facts


CAAB Code:37038016

Conservation:IUCN Least Concern

Danger:Venomous spines

Depth:0-88 m

Habitat:Reef associated, seagrass, sand

Max Size:61 cm TL

Native:Endemic

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Species Maps

CAAB distribution map