Elasmobranchii (sharks and rays) >
Myliobatiformes (Stingrays) >
Dasyatidae (Stingrays)
Etymology: Pteroplatytrygon: Greek, pteron = wing, fin + Greek,platys = flat + Greek, trygon = a sting ray (Ref. 45335); violacea: From the Latin 'viola' meaning violet.
Environment / Climate / Range
Ecology
Marine; pelagic-oceanic; depth range 1 - 381 m (Ref. 58302), usually 1 - 100 m (Ref. 55209). Subtropical; 52°N - 50°S, 167°W - 180°E (Ref. 55209)
Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?, range 40 - 50 cm
Max length : 160 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 5578); common length : 110 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 9254)
A thick, dark stingray with a broadly rounded snout and an angular pectoral disc; tail less than twice body length with a long lower caudal finfold ending far in front of tail tip, but with no upper finfold; disc without thorns; usually 1 extremely long sting on tail; eyes do not protrude (Ref. 5578). Uniformly violet, purple, or dark blue-green dorsally and ventrally (Ref. 3263). No prominent markings (Ref. 3263).
Probably cosmopolitan in tropical and subtropical seas. Eastern Atlantic: southeastern coasts of the Mediterranean and off Sicily. Reported from Cape Verde (Ref. 34514). Eastern Pacific: California (USA), Baja California (Mexico), and the Galapagos Islands Reported off Vancouver (Ref. 11980) and from Chile (Ref. 9068). Western Atlantic (Ref. 7251). There are 4 records from southern Africa (Ref. 11228).
Found in open, tropical and warm temperate waters usually in the first 100 m. Possibly the only totally pelagic member of the family (Ref. 6871). Feeds on coelenterates (including medusae), squid, decapod crustaceans, and fish. Ovoviviparous (Ref. 50449). Venomous spine on tail. Common catch of the pelagic tuna (and shark) longline and gillnet fisheries (drift, Ref. 75025) operating throughout the region (Ref. 58048); also by purse-seine and bottom trawls (Ref. 75025). Utilized for its meat and sometimes cartilage (Ref.58048).
Compagno, L.J.V., 1999. Checklist of living elasmobranchs. p. 471-498. In W.C. Hamlett (ed.) Sharks, skates, and rays: the biology of elasmobranch fishes. John Hopkins University Press, Maryland.
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 90363)
Human uses
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Estimates of some properties based on empirical models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82805): PD
50 = 1.0000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.01312 (-0.22193 - 0.24817), b=3.10075 (2.97426 - 3.22723), based on LWR estimates for this family-BS (Ref.
93245).
Trophic Level (Ref.
69278): 4.4 ±0.54 se; Based on food items.
Resilience (Ref.
69278): Very Low, minimum population doubling time more than 14 years (K=0.18 (captivity); Fec=1-9 (could probably have 2 litters per year)).
Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): High to very high vulnerability (66 of 100) .
