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Aetobatus narinari (Euphrasen, 1790)

Whitespotted eagle ray
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Aetobatus narinari   AquaMaps   Data sources: GBIF OBIS
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Image of Aetobatus narinari (Whitespotted eagle ray)
Aetobatus narinari
Picture by Vaske Jr., T.

Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Elasmobranchii (sharks and rays) > Myliobatiformes (Stingrays) > Aetobatidae (Pacific eagle rays)
Etymology: Aetobatus: Greek, aetos = eagle + Greek, batis, batidos = a ray (Raja sp.) (Ref. 45335).

Issue
Status of Aetobatus latirostris Duméril, 1861 requires further investigation. Species information (common names) should be linked to correct species (see Ref. 114963).

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Marine; brackish; benthopelagic; amphidromous (Ref. 51243); depth range 1 - 80 m (Ref. 9710). Subtropical; 36°N - 24°S, 98°W - 15°E

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

Western Atlantic and probably Eastern Atlantic. Indo-Pacific species refer to Aetobatus ocellatus; Eastern Pacific species refers to A. laticeps.

Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm 107.4, range 110 - 120 cm
Max length : 230 cm WD male/unsexed; (Ref. 114953); common length : 140 cm WD male/unsexed; (Ref. 114953); max. published weight: 230.0 kg (Ref. 7251)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Anal spines: 0. An eagleray with a long snout, flat and rounded like a duck's bill, a thick head, and a pectoral disc with sharply curved, angular corners, and no caudal fin; jaws usually with single row of flat, chevron-shaped teeth (Ref. 5578). Each tooth a crescent-shaped plate joined into a band (Ref. 26938). Numerous white spots on black or bluish disc; white below (Ref. 5578). Long whiplike tail, with a long spine near the base, behind small dorsal fin. No spines on disk (Ref. 7251).

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Commonly found in coastal habitats to at least 60 m depth (Ref. 114953). Swims close to the surface, occasionally leaping out of the water, or close to the bottom (Ref. 3175). Frequently forming large schools during the non-breeding season (Ref. 7251). Feeds on polychaetes, bivalves, gastropods, cepahlopods, shrimps and small fishes (Ref. 114953). Ovoviviparous (Ref. 50449). Bears young in litters of 2-4 (Ref. 26938, 114953).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturities | Reproduction | Spawnings | Egg(s) | Fecundities | Larvae

Exhibit ovoviparity (aplacental viviparity), with embryos feeding initially on yolk, then receiving additional nourishment from the mother by indirect absorption of uterine fluid enriched with mucus, fat or protein through specialised structures (Ref. 50449). Bears up to 4 young (Ref. 5578, 6871, 37816). Width at birth 17-35 cm (Ref. 37816). According to Uchida et al (1990) (Ref. 51119) 'the male chases the female in mid water, then nibbles on her dorsal surface. The female stops swimming to begin copulation. The male bites the female on a pectoral fin and bends one clasper forward, then attempts an abdomen to abdomen copulation with either clasper, usually mid-water' (Ref. 49562). Copulation lasted for 20 seconds to 1 minute (Ref. 49562).

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Last, P.R., W.T. White, M.R. de Carvalho, B. Séret, M.F.W. Stehmann and G.J.P. Naylor, 2016. Rays of the world. CSIRO Publishing, Comstock Publishing Associates. i-ix + 1-790. (Ref. 114953)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)

  Endangered (EN) (A2bd); Date assessed: 28 July 2020

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Traumatogenic (Ref. 4690)





Human uses

Fisheries: minor commercial
FAO - Publication: search | FishSource | Sea Around Us

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AFORO (otoliths) | Aquatic Commons | BHL | Cloffa | BOLDSystems | Websites from users | Check FishWatcher | CISTI | Catalog of Fishes: genus, species | DiscoverLife | DORIS | ECOTOX | FAO - Publication: search | Faunafri | Fishipedia | Fishtrace | GenBank: genome, nucleotide | GloBI | GoMexSI (interaction data) | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | IGFA World Record | MitoFish | National databases | OceanAdapt | Otolith Atlas of Taiwan Fishes | Public aquariums | PubMed | Reef Life Survey | Socotra Atlas | Tree of Life | Wikipedia: Go, Search | World Records Freshwater Fishing | Zoological Record

Estimates based on models

Preferred temperature (Ref. 123201): 22.3 - 29, mean 27.5 °C (based on 4014 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804):  PD50 = 0.6250   [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.01000 (0.00244 - 0.04107), b=3.04 (2.81 - 3.27), in cm total length, based on all LWR estimates for this body shape (Ref. 93245).
Trophic level (Ref. 69278):  4.2   ±0.1 se; based on diet studies.
Resilience (Ref. 120179):  Very Low, minimum population doubling time more than 14 years (tm=4-6; Fec=1-2).
Prior r = 0.06, 95% CL = 0.04 - 0.09, Based on 1 data-limited stock assessment.
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153):  Very high vulnerability (85 of 100).
Price category (Ref. 80766):   Medium.
Nutrients (Ref. 124155):  Calcium = 9.92 [1.89, 44.45] mg/100g; Iron = 0.495 [0.123, 1.361] mg/100g; Protein = 22 [17, 27] %; Omega3 = 0.253 [0.077, 0.713] g/100g; Selenium = 25.2 [7.7, 73.8] μg/100g; VitaminA = 8.16 [2.83, 22.84] μg/100g; Zinc = 0.526 [0.255, 0.991] mg/100g (wet weight);