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Urogymnus asperrimus (Bloch & Schneider, 1801)

Porcupine whipray
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Urogymnus asperrimus   AquaMaps   Data sources: GBIF OBIS
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Image of Urogymnus asperrimus (Porcupine whipray)
Urogymnus asperrimus
Picture by Randall, J.E.

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

Elasmobranchii (sharks and rays) > Myliobatiformes (Stingrays) > Dasyatidae (Stingrays) > Urogymninae
Etymology: Urogymnus: Greek, oura = tail + Greek, gymnos = naked (Ref. 45335).
More on authors: Bloch & Schneider.

Issue
Urogymnus africanus and Urogymnus asperrimus are considered synonyms and both are originally described in the same work. There is uncertainty about which name has priority, and thus both names can be found as valid; the first reviser is not researched (Eschmeyer, 2014).

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

Marine; brackish; reef-associated; depth range 15 - 217 m (Ref. 86942). Tropical; 31°N - 31°S, 20°W - 177°W

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

Indo-Pacific: Red Sea and coast of East Africa to the Marshall Islands and Fiji, south to northern Australia (Ref. 2334). Eastern Atlantic: Senegal, Guinea, and Côte d'Ivoire (Ref. 4438).

Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm ?, range 100 - ? cm
Max length : 147 cm WD male/unsexed; (Ref. 58048)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Diagnosis: A heavily armored stingray lacking a venomous barb; young with large, flat denticles on upper surface, and large juveniles and adults with additional sharp conical thorns and small, pointed denticles (Ref. 5578).

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Inhabits the continental shelf area (Ref. 2334), but capable of entering coastal lagoons (Ref. 81259). Found on sand and coral rubble areas near reefs (Ref. 9840), often in caves. Ovoviviparous (Ref. 50449). Due to its difficult handling, it is probably of limited commercial value (Ref. 9840). Its thorn can inflict a painful injury; caught commonly by demersal tangle net fisheries; utilized for its meat, skin (very high value) and cartilage (Ref.58048).

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). Distinct pairing with embrace (Ref. 205). Distinct pairing with embrace (Ref. 205).

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator : McEachran, John | Collaborators

Randall, J.E., G.R. Allen and R.C. Steene, 1990. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu, Hawaii. 506 p. (Ref. 2334)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)

  Vulnerable (VU) (A2bd); Date assessed: 20 February 2015

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Traumatogenic (Ref. 2334)





Human uses

Fisheries: commercial
FAO - Publication: search | FishSource |

More information

Trophic ecology
Food items
Diet compositions
Food consumptions
Food rations
Predators
Ecology
Ecology
Population dynamics
Growths
Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
Length-frequencies
Mass conversions
Recruitments
Abundances
Life cycle
Reproduction
Maturities
Fecundities
Spawnings
Spawning aggregations
Egg(s)
Egg developments
Larvae
Larval dynamics
Distribution
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FAO areas
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BRUVS - Videos
Anatomy
Gill areas
Brains
Otoliths
Physiology
Body compositions
Nutrients
Oxygen consumptions
Swimming type
Swimming speeds
Visual pigment(s)
Fish sounds
Diseases / Parasites
Toxicities (LC50s)
Genetics
Genetics
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Human related
Aquaculture systems
Aquaculture profiles
Strains
Ciguatera cases
Stamps, coins, misc.
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References

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Internet sources

AFORO (otoliths) | Aquatic Commons | BHL | Cloffa | BOLDSystems | Websites from users | Check FishWatcher | CISTI | Catalog of Fishes: genus, species | DiscoverLife | ECOTOX | FAO - Publication: search | Faunafri | Fishipedia | Fishtrace | GenBank: genome, nucleotide | GloBI | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | IGFA World Record | MitoFish | Otolith Atlas of Taiwan Fishes | 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): 25.4 - 29.3, mean 28.5 °C (based on 2874 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804):  PD50 = 0.5156   [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00832 (0.00366 - 0.01891), b=3.10 (2.90 - 3.30), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref. 93245).
Trophic level (Ref. 69278):  3.5   ±0.46 se; based on food items.
Resilience (Ref. 120179):  Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (Assuming fecundity<100).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153):  Very high vulnerability (90 of 100).
Price category (Ref. 80766):   Low.
Nutrients (Ref. 124155):  Calcium = 5.12 [0.57, 77.92] mg/100g; Iron = 0.354 [0.028, 3.818] mg/100g; Protein = 21.4 [18.7, 24.1] %; Omega3 = 0.0888 [, ] g/100g; Selenium = 41.6 [7.4, 202.0] μg/100g; VitaminA = 20.7 [1.8, 237.0] μg/100g; Zinc = 0.791 [0.052, 9.041] mg/100g (wet weight);