Longtail torpedo ray

Source: CSIRO National Fish Collection.

The Longtail Torpedo Ray (Tetronarce tokionis) is a small dark grey-brown electric ray with leathery skin. They occur in the subtropical, north-west Pacific (think Australia, Japan, Taiwan and New Zealand). Around Taiwan, the species has been confused with T. formosa Haas & Ebert, 2006. Here they are observed on the continental shelf and slope over rocky, sandy or muddy bottoms.

Males will mature before they are 67.5 cm total length (TL) and the females are larger. At birth they are about 20 cm TL. An uncommon animal, they can get down to 220–1,100 meters in Japan, and around 410–735 meters in Australia. Caught as bycatch in trawl and gillnet fisheries and sometimes seen in fish markets; the ray can also be used as fishmeal. The IUCN has assessed these animals as Data Deficient (DD) until its taxonomy and distribution are better understood.

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GLOSSARY

• Bycatch: The part of a fishery’s catch that is made up of non-target species. 
• Commercial fishery: The activity of catching fish and other seafood for profit.
• Continental slope: The steep slope from a continental shelf to the ocean floor; usually around 20 km (12.4 miles) wide and made up of mud and silt substrate. ​​
• IUCN: International Union for Conservation of Nature.​

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