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Dasyatis americana

(Pastenague Am?ricaine)

Overview

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Found on sandy bottoms , seagrass beds , lagoons and the reef face [1]. Common in bays and estuaries[2]. Observed singly, in pairs and in aggregations[1]. Buries in the sand during the day and forages at night, usually in seagrass beds [1]. Feeds mainly on bivalves and worms and also takes shrimps, crabs and small fishes [3]. Feeds by creating depressions in the sand to expose invertebrates and small fishes[4]. Ovoviviparous, with 3-4 in a litter [1]. May be found in cleaning stations where they are attended to by the bluehead wrasse and Spanish hogfish[1]. Equipped with a well-developed serrated spine and capable of inflicting a painful laceration. Easily approached by divers [4].

Interesting Facts

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Common Names

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Click on the language to view common names.

Common Names in Chinese:

美洲魟

Common Names in Danish:

Pigrokke, Pilrokke, Vestatlantisk pigrokke

Common Names in Dutch:

Amerikaanse pijlstaartrog, Pijlstaartrog, Stekelrog

Common Names in English:

Kit, southern stingray, stingaree, Stingray, Whip stingray

Common Names in Finnish:

Ruskokeih, Ruskokeihäsrausku

Common Names in French:

Pastenague Am?ricaine, Pastenague Am, Pastenague américaine

Common Names in German:

Peitschenrochen, Stechrochen

Common Names in Greek:

Sálahi trygéna, Trig, Trigóna

Common Names in Greek, Modern:

Sálahi Trygéna, Trigóna

Common Names in Greek, Modern (1453):

Sálahi trygéna, Trigóna

Common Names in Italian:

Pastinaca, Trigono

Common Names in Japanese:

Amerika-aka-ei

Common Names in Mandarin Chinese:

美洲魟

Common Names in Norwegian:

Pilrokke, Pilskate

Common Names in Papiamento:

Chuchu rok

Common Names in Polish:

Ogoncza amerykanska

Common Names in Portuguese:

Arraia, Raia-cravadora, Raia-lixa, Raia-prego

Common Names in Russian:

Kit, хвостокол американский

Common Names in Serbian:

Siba zutulja, Volina

Common Names in Spanish:

Pastinaca, Raya, Raya americana, Raya Chucho, Raya L, Raya látigo, raya látigo blanca, raya látigo blanca, Raya verde, Raya-l?tigo Americana, Rayal, Rayalátigo americana, Rayalátigo arrecifal

Common Names in Swedish:

Stingrocka, Västindisk spjutrocka

Common Names in Turkish:

Ignelivatoz

Common Names in Wayuu:

Kerovay

Description

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Physical Description

Species Dasyatis americana

Distinctive Features: The flattened pectoral fins form a disc that continues anterior to the head and posterior to the pelvic region. The disc of D. americana is diamond-shaped, making it more angular than discs of other rays. The head is elevated and contains spiracles that enable the ray to take in water dorsally while lying on the seabed. The gills , which expel water, are located ventrally. The disc is approximately 1.2 times as broad as it is long. The tail is rounded anterior to the spine. Posterior to the spine, the tail is flattened dorsoventrally. The dorsal tail fold is extremely reduced, while the ventral fold is highly developed. The ventral fold originates directly below the tail spine and extends posteriorly almost to the tip of tail. The tail, measured from the cloaca to the tip, can reach lengths twice as long as the body measured from cloaca to the tip of snout. As with other rays, the tail spine of D. americana is thought to be derived from modified scales . The distance between the outer margins of the eye orbits approximates tail spine length. The spine is round , but slightly flattened dorsoventrally with 52-80 teeth on either side.

Dentition: Southern stingrays have multiple rows of teeth that are relatively uniform in size except for somewhat smaller teeth near the outer corners of the mouth . Females and immature males have teeth that are tetragonal with rounded corners. Teeth of mature males have low conical cusps .

Denticles : Dermal denticles , characteristic of elasmobranchs, are sporadic in Myliobatiformes. As the ray develops, tubercles form sporadically on the disc. Tubercles are modified scales that slope anteriorly and point posteriorly. They are present from the nuchal region down the midpoint of the midline and begin to decrease again posteriorly. Smaller tubercles also occur at the shoulder region, between the eye orbits and spiracles. Larger specimens may have small tubercles in the tail spine region. Tubercles on females are typically more pronounced and densely packed than those on males.

Color:

Dorsal coloration varies between dark gray, green, and brown. Ventral coloration is predominantly white with dorsal coloration often bleeding over the edges of the disc onto the ventral surface. Color intensity may decrease around the head region.

Size/Age/Growth

The southern stingray reaches a maximum disc width of 79 inches (200cm) and weight of 214 lbs (97 kg ). Little is known about its average life span and growth rate . Males are commonly 90 cm (Width of Disc) in length when caught/marketed, but may be as large as 200 cm (Width of Disc).

Habitat

Like many other rays, D. americana prefers shallow coastal or estuarine habitats with sand/silt bottoms , although they have been observed in depths to 180 feet (53 m ). As a bottom dweller, the southern stingray avoids walls and large reef structures where it is difficult to feed . These rays have been netted in water temperatures ranging from 82-90°F (28-32 °C), and at depths of 12 feet (3.7 m). These animals have been observed alone, in pairs, and less frequently in large aggregations.

May be found at depths of 0 to 53 meters.

Ecology: A coastal marine and estuarine benthic species associated with sand flats, seagrass beds , and coral reefs at depths of 0 to 53 m. Commonly buries in soft sediments.

Litters of 2 to 10 pups are born at 17 to 34 cm disc width (DW), after a gestation of 4.5 to 7.5 months, and maturity is reached at 51 and 75 to 80 cm DW (males and females, respectively). Reproduction is biannual in captivity, annual in the wild. Maximum size is 150 cm DW (Henningsen 2000, McEachran and de Carvalho 2002, D. Grubbs and J. Musick unpublished data ).

The diet of this species has been studied in the Bahamas (Randall 1967, Gilliam and Sullivan 1993), Brazil (Queiroz et al. 1993) and the eastern USA (D. Grubbs, unpublished data) and consists of benthic and infaunal invertebrates and demersal teleosts. The most common prey are decapod crustaceans such as alphaeid, penaeid and callianasid shrimp and brachyuran crabs.

Life history parameters
Age at maturity (years): Unknown.
Size at maturity (disc width): 75 to 80 cm DW (McEachran and de Carvalho 2002) (female); 51 cm DW (McEachran and de Carvalho 2002) (male).
Longevity (years): Unknown.
Maximum size (disc width): 150 cm DW (McEachran and de Carvalho 2002).
Size at birth: 17 to 19 cm DW (McEachran and de Carvalho 2002, D. Grubbs and J. Musick unpublished data); mean 23.8 cm DW, range 20 to 34 cm DW (in captivity) (Henningsen 2000).
Average reproductive age (years): Unknown.
Gestation time: Mean 5.8 months; range 4.5 to 7.5 months (in captivity) (Henningsen 2000).
Reproductive periodicity: Biannual (in captivity) (Henningsen 2000); Annual (Florida and Virginia, USA) (D. Grubbs unpublished data).
Average annual fecundity or litter size : 2?7 (D. Grubbs and J. Musick unpublished data); mean 4.2, maximum 10 (in captivity) (Henningsen 2000).
Annual rate of population increase: Unknown.
Natural mortality : Unknown.[5].

List of Habitats :

Biology

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Diet

Feeding constantly during the day and night, D. americana feeds on large epibenthic prey such as teleosts and crustaceans. Other prey include stomatopods, mollusks, and annelids . It feeds by slowly grazing along the sandy ocean floor, relying on electro-reception combined with a strong sense of smell and touch.

Reproduction

Males become sexually mature at 20 inches (51cm) disc width (DW), while females mature at 29.5-31.5 inches (75-80cm) DW. A captive study has indicated a biannual reproductive cycle, however, this is still under investigation. As with other rays, development of D. americana occurs through aplacental viviparity. The embryo subsists on a yolk sac for nourishment early in development. When the yolk sac is absorbed, nourishment is provided through uterine milk from maternal secretions rather than via a placenta. Gestation takes 4-11 months and litter sizes range from 2-10 pups , with an average of 4 pups per litter. Unlike D. sabina, there is a direct correlation between litter size and size of the female. Pup size in captivity ranges from approximately 7.9 to 13.4 inches (20-34 cm) DW and weight varies from 0.6 to 2.5 lbs (282-1128 g). The pups have long, slender tails and broad wing-like pectoral fins at birth.

Behavior

Predators:

D. americana is preyed on by many species of sharks and other large fishes .

Parasites:

While trematode ectoparasites are common on these stingrays, infestation is not prolific. However, the overall parasite load for D. americana, as for many elasmobranchs, can be extensive. As a result, they have been observed to participate in a symbiotic relationship with cleaner wrasses . D. americana has been observed visiting cleaner wrasse cleaning stations for periods of time ranging from 1-26 minutes.

Taxonomy

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Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name .

First described: Hildebrand, Samuel F., and William C. Schroeder Fishes of Chesapeake Bay Bulletin of the United States Bureau of Fisheries, vol. 43, pt . 1;388, 1928.

Last scrutiny: Data last modified by FishBase 18-Oct-2000

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Dasyatis

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 57 species and subspecies in this genus:

D. acutirostra (Sharpnose Stingray) · D. akajei (Japanese Red Stingray) · D. altavela (Brown Stingray) · D. americana (Southern Stingray) · D. annotata (Brown Stingray) · D. aspera (Frilltailed Stingray) · D. bennetti (Bennet's Stingray) · D. brevicaudata (New Zealand Short-Tail Stingaree) · D. brevicaudatus (Smooth Short-Tailed Stingray) · D. brevis (Diamond Stingray) · D. centroura (Roughtail Stingray) · D. chrysonota (South African Blue Stingray) · D. chrysonota chrysonota (Blue Stingray) · D. chrysonota marmorata (Marbled Stingray) · D. colarensis (Colares Stingray) · D. dipterura (Rat-Tailed Stingray) · D. dipterurus (Sharpsnout Stingray) · D. fluviorum (Brown Stingray) · D. garouaensis (Smooth Freshwater Stingray) · D. geijskesi (Giant Stumptail Stingray) · D. gigantea (Giant Stumptail Stingray) · D. guttata (Longnose Stingray) · D. guttatus (Longnose Stingray) · D. hastata (Hawaiian Stingray) · D. hypostigma (Groovebelly Stingray) · D. izuensis (Izu Stingray) · D. kuhli (Mekong Freshwater Stingray) · D. kuhlii (Blue-Spotted Stingaree) · D. laevigata (Yantai Stingray) · D. laosensis (Mekong Freshwater Stingray) · D. lata (Brown Stingray) · D. latus (Broad Stingray) · D. leylandi (Brown-Reticulate Stingray) · D. longa (Longtail Stingray) · D. longus (Longtail Stingray) · D. margarita (Guinean Stingray) · D. margaritella (Pearl Stingray) · D. marianae (Brazilian Large-Eyed Stingray) · D. marmorata (Marbled Stingray) · D. matsubarai (Pitted Stingray) · D. microps (Thickspine Giant Stingray) · Gymnura poecilura (Pacific Whiptail Stingray) · D. multispinosa (Multispine Giant Stingray) · D. navarrae (Blackfish Stingray) · D. parvonigra (Dwarf Black Stingray) · D. pastinaca (Blue Stingray) · D. pastinacus (Common Stingray) · D. rudis (Smalltooth Stingray) · D. sabina (Atlantic Stingray) · D. say (Bluntnose Stingray) · D. sayi (Bluntnose Stingray) · D. sinensis (Chinese Stingray) · D. thetidis (Longtail Black Stingray) · D. tortonesei (Tortonese's Stingray) · D. ushiei (Ushi Stingray) · D. violacea (Pelagic Stingray) · D. zugei (Pale-Edged Stingray)

More Info

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Further Reading

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Notes

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Contributors

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal March 04, 2008:

Identifiers

Footnotes

  1. Michael, S.W. (1993). Reef sharks and rays of the world. A guide to their identification, behavior, and ecology. Sea Challengers, Monterey, California. 107 p. [back]
  2. 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. [back]
  3. Stehmann, M., J.D. McEachran and R. Vergara R. (1978). Dasyatidae. In W. Fischer (ed.) FAO species identification sheets for fishery purposes. Western Central Atlantic (Fishing Area 31). Vol. 1. [pag. var.]. FAO, Rome. [back]
  4. Lieske, E. and R. Myers (1994). Collins Pocket Guide. Coral reef fishes. Indo-Pacific & Caribbean including the Red Sea. Haper Collins Publishers, 400 p. [back]
  5. Grubbs, D.R., Snelson, F., Piercy, A., Rosa, R.S. & Furtado, M. 2006. Dasyatis americana. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 31 January 2012. [back]
Last Revised: 7/15/2012