Bluespotted Stingray – Profile | Traits | Diet | Breeding

A bluespotted stingray, a blue-spotted maskray, scientific name Neotrygon kuhlii, also referred to as the Kuhl’s maskray, or Kuhl’s stingray, is a species of stingray of the family Dasyatidae.

It was lately modified from Dasyatis kuhlii in 2008 after morphological and molecular analyses confirmed that it’s a part of a definite genus, Neotrygon. The body is rhomboidal and colored green with blue spots.

The most disk width is estimated at 46.5 cm (18.3 in). It is popular in aquaria, however often not distinguished from the blue-spotted ribbontail ray. The ribbon tail has a rounded body, is a brighter green with brighter blue and more vivid spots, however, Bluespotted Stingray is bigger.

The stingray’s lifespan is estimated at 13 years for females and 10 years for males. The blue-spotted stingray preys on many fish and small mollusks.

It can be typically discovered from Indonesia to Japan and most of Australia. Kuhl’s maskray is also focused on many parasites, similar to tapeworms, flatworms, and flukes.

Common names

Raie à factors bleus, Requin raie, Ble-spotted stingaree, Ble-spotted stingray, Blue spotted sting ray, Blue-spotted stingray, Blue-spotted maskray, Blue-spotted stingaree, Blue-spotted stingray, Bluespotted maskray, Bluespotted stingray, Kuhl”s stingray, Uge ponteado

Bluespotted Stingray Habitat

The bluespotted stingray is often present in waters of depths above 90 m (295 ft), is often present in sand and mudflats, however can be encountered close to rocky coral reefs and seagrass beds.

This Bluespotted Stingray is present in tropical local weather at 29°N to 31°S, and 20°E to 171°W. At high tide, the blue-spotted stingray strikes into the shallow lagoons and reef flats.

Bluespotted Stingray is present in northern Australia, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Somalia, the east coast of South Africa, and India, and in nearly all the continental waters of Asia, together with the Sea of Japan, Yellow Sea, East China Sea, Philippine Sea, Sulu Sea, Java Sea, Banda Sea, Celebes Sea, Andaman Sea, the Bay of Bengal, and the Arabian Sea.

The body of a Bluespotted Stingray is more angular, which distinguishes it from the blue-spotted ribbontail ray.

Bluespotted Stingray Appearance

A medium-sized Neotrygon of the kuhlii-complex (reaching at the least 30 cm) with the next mixture of characters: disc broader than long, width ~1.2 occasions size; pectoral apices narrowly rounded; snout reasonably fleshy, broadly angular, angle ~107°, size 1.7–2.1 occasions interorbital width

The most width comparatively properly back on disc, size from snout tip to pectoral-fin insertion 1.8–1.9 occasions and disc width 2.5–2.6 occasions horizontal distance from snout tip to most disc width; preoral size 2.4–2.8 occasions mouth width; internasal distance 1.5–1.8 in prenasal size.

The interspiracular distance 13–15%; nostril size 2.8–4.1%; nasal curtain width 8–8.3%; smallmouth, width 6.4–6.8%; horizontal distance from cloaca to caudal sting base ~55% of disc size; thornless present in the nuchal area, absent from tail in all sizes.

The dermal denticles absent; pectoral-fin radials 113 (based mostly on new specimen); total vertebral centra (together with synarcual) 133, trunk centra (together with synarcual) 39; blue spots very small and sparse, largest spot on disc 0.3–0.5 occasions eye width; 0–6 (imply 3.0) blue spots on medial belt, largest ~2.1%.

The mask-like marking pronounced, not coated with darkish peppery spots; ventral floor of disc and pelvic fins with broad darkish greyish submarginal bands; ventral tail fold and adjoining tail bluish gray when recent.

Bluespotted Stingray Description and behavior

The full body of a blue-spotted stingray, exhibiting the black-and-white-striped tail

Bluespotted Stingray has a flat, disc-like, rhomboid body as much as 47 cm (19 in) in diameter and 70 cm (28 in) in total size. Their coloring is darkish green with blue spots with a light white underbelly, also referred to as countershading.

Their snouts are very brief and broadly angular together with an annular disc. The rays’ brilliant coloration serves as a warning for his or her venomous spines. The rays have a really long tail accommodating two venomous spines on their base.

Their tails are about twice as long as our bodies, and the barbs or spines are two totally different sizes, one being very massive and the opposite medium in size.

Bluespotted Stingrays have brilliant yellow eyes which might be positioned to permit them a wide-angle of view. Since their gills are situated ventrally, the spiracles enable water to achieve the gills whereas resting or feeding on the benthos. The spiracles are situated straight behind the eyes.

The mouth is situated on the ventral aspect of the body, which promotes the distinctive foraging strategy of stingrays. Rays are usually solitary people, however can happen in teams.

One distinctive attribute of Bluespotted Stingrays is that they bury themselves within the sand solely to cover from predators, in contrast to most stingrays, which bury themselves repeatedly to hunt.

Bluespotted Stingray Diet

Bluespotted Stingray feeds on shrimp, small bony fish, mollusks, crabs, and worms. Because this ray is a shallow-bottom feeder, it has a small number of marine life on which to prey.

It overpowers its prey by pinning it to the underside of the seafloor with its fins. This ray has quite a few tiny teeth, with the lower jaw being barely convex. Like most stingrays, it has plate-like teeth to crush prey.

Exhibit ovoviparity (aplacental viviparity), with embryos feeding initially on yolk, then receiving further nourishment from the mother by oblique absorption of uterine fluid enriched with mucus, fats, or protein by specialized constructions.

Distinct pairing with embrace. Litters size at birth 16 cm; Java type born at 11-16 cm WD, Bali varieties born at ~17 cm WD. Gives birth to litters of 1-2 pups; no reproductive synchronicity.

Inhabits sandy areas amongst coral reefs. A solitary species discovered on sandy bottoms close to rocky or coral reefs.

Usually present in deeper water however strikes onto the reef flat and into shallow lagoons at high tide.

Occasionally covers itself with sand, leaving solely its eyes and tail seen. Feeds on crabs and shrimps. A carnivore.

Reproduction

Bluespotted Stingray is ovoviviparous. The embryos are retained in eggs inside the mom’s body till they’re able to hatch.

The embryos obtain nourishment from the moms’ uterine fluid. Mothers give birth to as many as seven pups per litter; these pups range from 6 to 13 in (150 to 330 mm) long at birth.

The Bluespotted Stingray passes its offspring 32 units of chromosomes. The feminine additionally has an annual reproductive cycle. The mating season is in October and November, and the ovulating season is within the Australian summer (December 1- February 28/29), which coincides with embryonic growth.

Threats and guarded areas

Queensland, Australia, has many areas for high safety of Kuhl’s maskrays, three being the Shoalwater, Corio Bay’s Area Ramsar Site, and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.

A significant menace to this stingray is the destruction of coral reefs primarily within the north-western Pacific. The rays dwell in these reefs and the destruction and air pollution from fertilizers and pesticides damage them.

The Bluespotted Stingray is often caught within the Java Sea by fishermen trawling and by Danish seine boats in massive portions.

The blue-spotted stingray is the second-most vital species of the shark, ray, and skate family to be fished, contributing to about 700 kg (1,500 lb) per boat in 2006-2007.

Predators

Larger elasmobranchs, similar to hammerhead sharks, prey on Kuhl’s maskrays. The rays’ coloration is a warning for the extremely venomous barbs, thus few animals try to overpower them. The hammerhead shark makes use of its head to pin down this stingray, whereas it’s in shock and far weaker.

SeaFish