Striped stingaree

3/4/2018

Happy #StingareeSunday! Introducing you to a greyish-brown stingaree with dark markings: the striped stingaree (Trygonoptera ovalis). With dark stripes around their eyes and usually one on the snout (it is more obvious on juveniles of this species), it's no wonder they have the common name that they do. Striped stingarees sometimes have a dark patches/stripes on their disc that extends to their tail; this contrasts against a pale-ish middle and a grey-black caudal fin. Their underbelly is often a white to pale yellow color that has a dark outline.

Striped Stingaree, Trygonoptera ovalis. Source: Rudie H. Kuiter / Aquatic Photographics.

The striped stingarees tend to prefer rocky areas and reefs of Western Australia where it is endemic! What exactly they eat is unknown, but like other stingrays they may eat small fish, crustaceans, and molluscs (as like many other rays, they have small mouths). Reaching 61 cm total length (TL), they are slightly longer than they are wide and have a fleshy snout that may assist in 'sniffing out' prey. #Finfact: The specific name is from the Latin ovalis (oval), in reference to the shape of their disc. It is a species that is rarely caught by commercial fisheries in its range, and the IUCN has assessed them as Least Concern (LC).

thoughts on this stingaree?

glossary

Caudal fin: The tail fin.
Commercial fishery: The activity of catching fish and other seafood for profit.

Crustaceans: Group of animals with a hard exoskeleton, jointed legs and segmented body.

Endemic: Native to a specific region or environment and not occurring naturally anywhere else.
IUCN: International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Molluscs: The largest marine phylum; invertebrate animals, many of which have shells.