SEPIA STINGRAY

Sepia Stingray aka Oriental Stingaree, Urolophus aurantiacus.

Sepia Stingray aka Oriental Stingaree, Urolophus aurantiacus

More Sepia Stingray Pictures in the Shark Picture Database

Common Names: Sepia Stingray, Oriental Stingaree.

Latin Name: Urolophus aurantiacus.

Family: Urolophidae

Identification: Rounded, slightly rhomboid disc. Tip of snout slightly extends beyond anterior disc margin. Spiracle origin below mid-eye. Dorsum brown or greyish-brown without markings. Ventrum white with grey/brown band around margin. Tail relatively long. Tail may have a dusky centerline. Small dorsal fin in front of tail spine. No lateral skin folds present on tail. Tail length 72-84% of disc length. Tail robust before tail sting; tapering thereafter to low caudal lobe.

Size: Maximum length approx 40cm.

Habitat: Sandy and rocky substrates. Listed as mainly occurring at depths between 155-205m on continental shelf. However, sepia stingrays are regularly encountered by divers around shallow reefs in Japan.

Distribution: Southern Japan, Korea and Taiwan. Not reported from Mainland China.

Reproduction: Ovoviviparous.

Vulnerability: Listed by the IUCN as NEAR THREATENED. Its preference for rocky habitat limits its susceptibility to trawling, however gillnet, set net and longline fishing activities in parts of its range are likely to take this species as bycatch. No information is available on such bycatch. Longline fisheries in areas such as Taiwan often employ gear that would regularly take this species (similar sized demersal batoids taken on bottom set lines are a commonly marketed product). Fisheries in the Asian region are generally unmanaged and unregulated and pressure on the continental shelf is intense.
This species' occurrence in deeper water was shown by Nakaya and Shirai (1992) in the Okinawa Trough, south of Japan. Bycatch through any expansion of deepwater demersal fishing activities will likely increase pressure on deeper subpopulations in those areas.
Habitat alteration in inshore areas may indirectly impact the species.

Photographs: Tateyama, Chiba, Japan.

Similar species: No other Urolophid rays live within range of this species. Young Dasyatid rays such as the Red Stingray Hemitrygon akejei look vaguely similar but have much longer, thinner tails.

Reaction to divers: Skittish but can be approached with slow movements.

Diving logistics: Relatively common in Southern Honshu, Japan. Divers attending the shark feeds in Tateyama should be able to find this ray within a few dives by scanning the sandy areas between reefs.

Citations:

Last, P.R. & Marshall, L.J. 2006. Urolophus aurantiacus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2006: e.T60087A12238245. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2006.RLTS.T60087A12238245.en. Downloaded on 22 October 2017.

Rays of the World - Last, White, de Carvalho, Seret, Stehmann, and Naylor. CSIRO.