The bluespotted stingray (Neotrygon kuhlii) or Kuhl's stingray, is a species

Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

 of stingray

Stingray

The stingrays are a group of rays, which are cartilaginous fishes related to sharks. They are classified in the suborder Myliobatoidei of the order Myliobatiformes, and consist of eight families: Hexatrygonidae , Plesiobatidae , Urolophidae , Urotrygonidae , Dasyatidae , Potamotrygonidae The...

 of the Dasyatidae family. It is light green with blue spots. Their disk width hovers around 67 centimetres (26.4 in). They are popular in aquaria but usually not distinguished from the Bluespotted ribbontail ray

Bluespotted ribbontail ray

The bluespotted ribbontail ray is a species of stingray in the family Dasyatidae. Found from the intertidal zone to a depth of , this species is common throughout the tropical Indian and western Pacific Oceans in nearshore, coral reef-associated habitats...

. The ribbontail is rounder with brighter green and more/more vivid spots; the bluespotted stingray is also larger.

Taxonomy

The bluespotted stingray was discovered by Heinrich Kuhl in Java, Indonesia. The population of this species is greatly debatable due to the five different species of rays in Indonesia. Also, there are two different subgroups: the Java form and the Bali form.

Habitat

The bluespotted stingray is commonly found in waters of depths about 0–90 meters or 0–295 feet. It is found near the rocky or coral reefs. At high tide the bluespotted stingray moves out into the shallow lagoons and reef flats. Found in Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

, Kenya

Kenya

Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...

, Madagascar

Madagascar

The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...

, Mozambique

Mozambique

Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...

, Mauritius

Mauritius

Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...

, Somalia

Somalia

Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...

, South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

, and Tanzania

Tanzania

The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...

.

Diet

These rays feed on shrimp, small fish, mollusks, crabs and other worms. Due to the face that this ray is a shallow bottom feeder, it has a small variety of marine life to prey on. The Bluespotted stingray over-powers its prey by pinning them to the bottom of the floor with their fins. This ray does not have teeth, instead it has food-crush plates on the sides of its mouth.

Reproduction

The bluespotted stingray is ovoviviparous. This means that the embryos are retained within the mother's body in eggs until ready to be hatched. The babies receive nourishment from the mothers uterine fluid. Mothers give birth to one or two pups, these pups range from 6 inches in width to 13 inches in length at birth.

Protected Areas

Shoalwater and Corio Bay

Corio Bay

Corio Bay is one of numerous bays in the southwest corner of Australia's Port Phillip, and is the bay on which abuts the City of Geelong. The nearby suburb of Corio takes its name from Corio Bay.-Name:...

s Area Ramsar Site in Queensland

Queensland

Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

 and The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park

Great Barrier Reef Marine Park

The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park protects a large part of Australia's Great Barrier Reef from damaging activities. Fishing and the removal of artefacts or...

 also in Queensland

Queensland

Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

.

Parasites

The bluespotted stingray is a host for many parasites such as Cephalobothrium longisegmentum and Tylocephalum kuhli of the cestodes cephalobothriidae group. The Trygonicola macroporus of the cestodes mixodigmatidae. The Acanthobothrium bengalens, the Acanthobothrium confusum, Acanthobothrium herdmani, and the Acanthobothrium pingtanensis of the cestodes onchobothriidae. The Echeneibothrium trygonis, the Phyllobothrium ptychocephalum, the Rhinebothrium shipleyi, the Scalithrium shipleyi, and the Scalithrium trygonis of the cestodes phyllobothriidae. The Dendromonocotyle kuhlii, the Heterocotyle chinensis, the Monocotyle kuhlii, and the Monocotyle tritestis of the monogeneans monocotylidae family. The Prosorhynchus clavatum of the trematodes monocotylidae, and the Didymozoid larva

Larva

A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...

 of the trematodes didymozoidae.

External links

• Bluespotted Ray Photo Gallery (Red Sea
  Red Sea
  The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north, there is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez...
  
  )