Longnose stingray
Encyclopedia
The longnose stingray, Dasyatis guttata, is a species
of stingray
in the family
Dasyatidae, native to the western Atlantic Ocean
from the southern Gulf of Mexico
to Brazil
. Found in coastal waters no deeper than 36 m (118.1 ft), this demersal species favors muddy or sandy habitat
s. The longnose stingray is characterized by its angular, rhomboid
pectoral fin disc, moderately projecting snout, and whip-like tail with a dorsal keel and ventral fin fold. It typically grows to 1.25 m (4.1 ft) across and is brownish above and light-colored below.
Longnose stingrays feed mainly on bottom-dwelling invertebrate
s and small bony fishes. Reproduction is aplacental viviparous, with females bearing two litters of 1–2 pups per year. The young are born in relatively fresh water, move into saltier water as juveniles, and then back into fresher water as adults. This species is valued by commercial
and recreational fishers
in many parts of its range, and utilized for meat, gelatin
, oil, and even the aquarium trade
. However, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) presently lacks enough specific information on these activities to assess its conservation status.
Georg Marcgrave
's 1648 Historia Rerum Naturalis Brasiliae, under the name "iabebirete". Marcgrave's account formed the basis for this species' formal scientific description as Raja guttata, by later German naturalists Marcus Elieser Bloch
and Johann Gottlob Schneider
in their 1801 Systema Ichthyologiae. Subsequent authors moved this species to the genus Dasyatis. No type specimen has been designated.
Lisa Rosenberger's 2001 phylogenetic analysis, based on morphology
, found that the sister species of the longnose stingray is the sharpsnout stingray
(D. geijskesi), and that two form a clade
with the pale-edged stingray
(D. zugei), the pearl stingray
(D. margaritella), the sharpnose stingray (Himantura gerrardi), and the smooth butterfly ray
(Gymnura micrura, included in the study as an outgroup
). These results support the growing consensus that neither Dasyatis nor Himantura
are monophyletic.
southward to the Brazilian state of Paraná
, including the Greater
and Lesser Antilles
. This bottom-dwelling species inhabits inshore marine
and brackish water
s from the intertidal zone
to a depth of 36 m (118.1 ft). It favors muddy or sandy substrates, and is tolerant of wide variations in salinity
.
e are found across the floor of the mouth. There are 34–46 tooth rows in the upper jaw; the teeth have tetragonal bases and blunt crowns in females and juveniles and sharp, pointed cusps in mature males. The pelvic fins are rounded.
The slender, whip-like tail is much longer than the disc and usually bears a single serrated stinging spine near the base (some individuals have no spine or more than one). Behind the spine, there is a long, fleshy dorsal keel and a ventral fin fold two-thirds to four-fifths as high as the tail. A row of small, blunt thorns or tubercles are present along the midline of the back, from between the eyes to the base of the tail spine. Larger rays also gain a mid-dorsal band of heart-shaped, flattened denticles. The coloration is olive, brown, or gray above, sometimes with darker spots, and yellowish to white below; the keel and fin fold on the tail are black. This species reaches a maximum known disc width of 2 m (6.6 ft), though 1.25 m (4.1 ft) is more typical. Females grow larger than males.
as the more northerly Atlantic stingray
(D. sabina). Where the ranges of the two species overlap, there is spatial segregation with longnose stingrays being found at depths of 1–15 m (3.3–49.2 ft) and Atlantic stingrays being found at depths of up to 50–60 m (164–196.9 ft). This species feeds mainly on benthic invertebrate
s and small bony fishes, often using its pectoral fins to uncover burrowing prey. Its pavement-like teeth enables it to grind up hard-shelled organisms. One study off the Brazilian state of Ceará
found that the most common prey taken were holothuriid
sea cucumber
s, peanut worms
, eunicid
polychaete worms, bivalves and gastropods, the crustacean
s Penaeus
and Callinectes
, and the grunt
Pomadasys corvinaeformis. Known parasites of the longnose stingray include the tapeworms Rhinebothrium margaritense and Rhodobothrium pulvinatum, the isopods Excorallana tricornis and Rocinela signata, and the monogenea
n Monocotyle guttatae.
In common with other stingrays, the longnose stingray is aplacental viviparous, in which the developing embryo
s are sustained by yolk and later histotroph ("uterine milk") produced by the mother. Females have a single functional uterus
, on the left, and bear two litters of 1–2 pups per year, one around March and the other around November. The gestation period
is 5–6 months long with vitellogenesis
(yolk formation) occurring at the same time, such as that females can ovulate
a new batch of ova
and mate again immediately after giving birth. Longnose stingrays measure 12.3–15.3 cm (4.8–6 in) across at birth. Parturition occurs in water with relatively low salinity, but the young soon move into saltier water (half to full-strength seawater
). A known nursery area for this species occurs off the beaches of Caiçara do Norte
in northeastern Brazil, where newborns and small juveniles have been reported from water no more than 3 m (9.8 ft) deep from February to October. Very small juveniles have also been observed in tidal pools in Ceará. Males mature at 50–60 cm (19.7–23.6 in) across and females at 60–70 cm (23.6–27.6 in) across. At the onset of sexual maturation, longnose stingrays move back into water with lower salinities of 20 ppt or less; females over 75 cm (29.5 in) across are found only in salinities of under 5 ppt.
ous tail spine of the longnose stingray is potentially dangerous to beachgoers and fishery workers. Throughout its range, this species is taken intentionally and otherwise by commercial fisheries, using gillnet
s, trawls, and longlines. It is the most commonly caught stingray off the Guyanas
and the Brazilian states of Maranhão
and Paraíba
, and is becoming increasingly important elsewhere. The longnose stingray is also targeted by recreational surf angler
s in Ceará. The meat of its "wings" is highly esteemed and sold fresh, frozen, or salted; this ray is also utilized in the production of gelatin
and high-quality oil, and at least five individuals were found in the Ceará aquarium trade
from 1995 to 2000. The impact of fishing on the longnose stingray population has been little-investigated outside Brazil; as a result the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is not yet able to assess its conservation status beyond Data Deficient
.
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...
in the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Dasyatidae, native to the western Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
from the southern Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
to Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. Found in coastal waters no deeper than 36 m (118.1 ft), this demersal species favors muddy or sandy habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
s. The longnose stingray is characterized by its angular, rhomboid
Rhomboid
Traditionally, in two-dimensional geometry, a rhomboid is a parallelogram in which adjacent sides are of unequal lengths and angles are oblique.A parallelogram with sides of equal length is a rhombus but not a rhomboid....
pectoral fin disc, moderately projecting snout, and whip-like tail with a dorsal keel and ventral fin fold. It typically grows to 1.25 m (4.1 ft) across and is brownish above and light-colored below.
Longnose stingrays feed mainly on bottom-dwelling invertebrate
Invertebrate
An invertebrate is an animal without a backbone. The group includes 97% of all animal species – all animals except those in the chordate subphylum Vertebrata .Invertebrates form a paraphyletic group...
s and small bony fishes. Reproduction is aplacental viviparous, with females bearing two litters of 1–2 pups per year. The young are born in relatively fresh water, move into saltier water as juveniles, and then back into fresher water as adults. This species is valued by commercial
Commercial fishing
Commercial fishing is the activity of catching fish and other seafood for commercial profit, mostly from wild fisheries. It provides a large quantity of food to many countries around the world, but those who practice it as an industry must often pursue fish far into the ocean under adverse conditions...
and recreational fishers
Recreational fishing
Recreational fishing, also called sport fishing, is fishing for pleasure or competition. It can be contrasted with commercial fishing, which is fishing for profit, or subsistence fishing, which is fishing for survival....
in many parts of its range, and utilized for meat, gelatin
Gelatin
Gelatin is a translucent, colorless, brittle , flavorless solid substance, derived from the collagen inside animals' skin and bones. It is commonly used as a gelling agent in food, pharmaceuticals, photography, and cosmetic manufacturing. Substances containing gelatin or functioning in a similar...
, oil, and even the aquarium trade
Fishkeeping
Fishkeeping is a popular hobby concerned with keeping fish in a home aquarium or garden pond. There is also a fishkeeping industry, as a branch of agriculture.-Types of fishkeeping systems:...
. However, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) presently lacks enough specific information on these activities to assess its conservation status.
Taxonomy and phylogeny
The first known reference to the longnose stingray was in German naturalistNaturalist
Naturalist may refer to:* Practitioner of natural history* Conservationist* Advocate of naturalism * Naturalist , autobiography-See also:* The American Naturalist, periodical* Naturalism...
Georg Marcgrave
Georg Marcgrave
Georg Marcgrave was a German naturalist and astronomer.- Life :Born in Liebstadt in the Electorate of Saxony, Marcgrave studied botany, astronomy, mathematics, and medicine in Germany and Switzerland until 1636 when he journeyed to Leiden in the Netherlands.In 1637, he was appointed astronomer of...
's 1648 Historia Rerum Naturalis Brasiliae, under the name "iabebirete". Marcgrave's account formed the basis for this species' formal scientific description as Raja guttata, by later German naturalists Marcus Elieser Bloch
Marcus Elieser Bloch
Marcus Elieser Bloch was a German medical doctor and naturalist. He is generally considered one of the most important ichthyologists of the 18th century.- Life :...
and Johann Gottlob Schneider
Johann Gottlob Schneider
Johann Gottlob Theaenus Schneider was a German classicist and naturalist.-Biography:Schneider was born at Collm in Saxony...
in their 1801 Systema Ichthyologiae. Subsequent authors moved this species to the genus Dasyatis. No type specimen has been designated.
Lisa Rosenberger's 2001 phylogenetic analysis, based on morphology
Morphology (biology)
In biology, morphology is a branch of bioscience dealing with the study of the form and structure of organisms and their specific structural features....
, found that the sister species of the longnose stingray is the sharpsnout stingray
Sharpsnout stingray
The sharpsnout stingray or wingfin stingray, Dasyatis geijskesi, is a species of stingray in the family Dasyatidae, found from off Venezuela to northern Brazil. It inhabits shallow, brackish water, shifting towards the coast in the dry season and away from it in the rainy season...
(D. geijskesi), and that two form a clade
Clade
A clade is a group consisting of a species and all its descendants. In the terms of biological systematics, a clade is a single "branch" on the "tree of life". The idea that such a "natural group" of organisms should be grouped together and given a taxonomic name is central to biological...
with the pale-edged stingray
Pale-edged stingray
The pale-edged stingray or sharpnose stingray is a species of stingray in the family Dasyatidae, found in the Indian and Pacific Oceans from India to the western Malay Archipelago and southern Japan. This bottom-dwelling ray is most commonly found over sandy areas shallower than , as well as in...
(D. zugei), the pearl stingray
Pearl stingray
The pearl stingray is a little-known species of stingray in the family Dasyatidae, found in shallow coastal waters from Mauritania to Angola. Growing to across, this species has a rounded pectoral fin disc with a pointed snout, and a wide band of dermal denticles over the back in adults...
(D. margaritella), the sharpnose stingray (Himantura gerrardi), and the smooth butterfly ray
Smooth butterfly ray
The smooth butterfly ray is a species of fish in the Gymnuridae family. It is found in Belize, Brazil, Cameroon, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Costa Rica, French Guiana, Gambia, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Suriname, Trinidad and...
(Gymnura micrura, included in the study as an outgroup
Outgroup
In cladistics or phylogenetics, an outgroup is a group of organisms that serves as a reference group for determination of the evolutionary relationship among three or more monophyletic groups of organisms....
). These results support the growing consensus that neither Dasyatis nor Himantura
Himantura
Himantura is a genus of stingray in the family Dasyatidae, commonly known as the whiprays. They are distinguished from other stingrays by a long, slender tail without tail folds. Himantura species are very morphologically diverse and the genus may be polyphyletic...
are monophyletic.
Distribution and habitat
The longnose stingray is found from the southern Gulf of MexicoGulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
southward to the Brazilian state of Paraná
Paraná (state)
Paraná is one of the states of Brazil, located in the South of the country, bordered on the north by São Paulo state, on the east by the Atlantic Ocean, on the south by Santa Catarina state and the Misiones Province of Argentina, and on the west by Mato Grosso do Sul and the republic of Paraguay,...
, including the Greater
Greater Antilles
The Greater Antilles are one of three island groups in the Caribbean. Comprising Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola , and Puerto Rico, the Greater Antilles constitute almost 90% of the land mass of the entire West Indies.-Greater Antilles in context :The islands of the Caribbean Sea, collectively known as...
and Lesser Antilles
Lesser Antilles
The Lesser Antilles are a long, partly volcanic island arc in the Western Hemisphere. Most of its islands form the eastern boundary of the Caribbean Sea with the Atlantic Ocean, with the remainder located in the southern Caribbean just north of South America...
. This bottom-dwelling species inhabits inshore marine
Marine (ocean)
Marine is an umbrella term. As an adjective it is usually applicable to things relating to the sea or ocean, such as marine biology, marine ecology and marine geology...
and brackish water
Brackish water
Brackish water is water that has more salinity than fresh water, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing of seawater with fresh water, as in estuaries, or it may occur in brackish fossil aquifers. The word comes from the Middle Dutch root "brak," meaning "salty"...
s from the intertidal zone
Intertidal zone
The intertidal zone is the area that is above water at low tide and under water at high tide . This area can include many different types of habitats, with many types of animals like starfish, sea urchins, and some species of coral...
to a depth of 36 m (118.1 ft). It favors muddy or sandy substrates, and is tolerant of wide variations in salinity
Salinity
Salinity is the saltiness or dissolved salt content of a body of water. It is a general term used to describe the levels of different salts such as sodium chloride, magnesium and calcium sulfates, and bicarbonates...
.
Description
The longnose stingray has a diamond-shaped pectoral fin disc slightly wider than long, with outer corners forming approximately right angles and gently concave anterior margins converging to an obtuse, moderately projecting snout. The mouth is curved with a median projection in the upper jaw that fits into an indentation in the lower jaw. A row of three papillaPapilla (fish mouth structure)
The papilla, in certain kinds of fish, particularly rays, sharks, and catfish, are small lumps of dermal tissue found in the mouth, where they are "distributed uniformly on the tongue, palate, and pharynx"...
e are found across the floor of the mouth. There are 34–46 tooth rows in the upper jaw; the teeth have tetragonal bases and blunt crowns in females and juveniles and sharp, pointed cusps in mature males. The pelvic fins are rounded.
The slender, whip-like tail is much longer than the disc and usually bears a single serrated stinging spine near the base (some individuals have no spine or more than one). Behind the spine, there is a long, fleshy dorsal keel and a ventral fin fold two-thirds to four-fifths as high as the tail. A row of small, blunt thorns or tubercles are present along the midline of the back, from between the eyes to the base of the tail spine. Larger rays also gain a mid-dorsal band of heart-shaped, flattened denticles. The coloration is olive, brown, or gray above, sometimes with darker spots, and yellowish to white below; the keel and fin fold on the tail are black. This species reaches a maximum known disc width of 2 m (6.6 ft), though 1.25 m (4.1 ft) is more typical. Females grow larger than males.
Biology and ecology
Longnose stingrays seem to occupy basically the same ecological nicheEcological niche
In ecology, a niche is a term describing the relational position of a species or population in its ecosystem to each other; e.g. a dolphin could potentially be in another ecological niche from one that travels in a different pod if the members of these pods utilize significantly different food...
as the more northerly Atlantic stingray
Atlantic stingray
The Atlantic stingray is a species of stingray in the family Dasyatidae, common along the Atlantic coast of North America from Chesapeake Bay to Mexico, including brackish and freshwater habitats. It may be distinguished from other stingrays in the area by its relatively elongated snout...
(D. sabina). Where the ranges of the two species overlap, there is spatial segregation with longnose stingrays being found at depths of 1–15 m (3.3–49.2 ft) and Atlantic stingrays being found at depths of up to 50–60 m (164–196.9 ft). This species feeds mainly on benthic invertebrate
Invertebrate
An invertebrate is an animal without a backbone. The group includes 97% of all animal species – all animals except those in the chordate subphylum Vertebrata .Invertebrates form a paraphyletic group...
s and small bony fishes, often using its pectoral fins to uncover burrowing prey. Its pavement-like teeth enables it to grind up hard-shelled organisms. One study off the Brazilian state of Ceará
Ceará
Ceará is one of the 27 states of Brazil, located in the northeastern part of the country, on the Atlantic coast. It is currently the 8th largest Brazilian State by population and the 17th by area. It is also one of the main touristic destinations in Brazil. The state capital is the city of...
found that the most common prey taken were holothuriid
Holothuriidae
Holothuriidae is a family of sea cucumbers, a type of echinoderm.-Description:Members of the Holothuriidae family have thick fleshy bodies and several rows of tube feet which are used for moving around and for adhering to the surface. The body is often covered with blunt projections known as papillae...
sea cucumber
Sea cucumber
Sea cucumbers are echinoderms from the class Holothuroidea.They are marine animals with a leathery skin and an elongated body containing a single, branched gonad. Sea cucumbers are found on the sea floor worldwide. There are a number of holothurian species and genera, many of which are targeted...
s, peanut worms
Sipuncula
The Sipuncula or Sipunculida is a group containing 144-320 species of bilaterally symmetrical, unsegmented marine worms...
, eunicid
Eunicidae
Eunicidae is a family of polychaetes. Many eunicids reach a considerable size. Their jaws are known from Ordovician sediments. They live throughout the seas; a few species are parasitic....
polychaete worms, bivalves and gastropods, the crustacean
Crustacean
Crustaceans form a very large group of arthropods, usually treated as a subphylum, which includes such familiar animals as crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill and barnacles. The 50,000 described species range in size from Stygotantulus stocki at , to the Japanese spider crab with a leg span...
s Penaeus
Penaeus
Penaeus is a genus of prawns, including the giant tiger prawn , the most important species of farmed crustacean worldwide. The genus has been reorganised following a proposition of Pérez Farfante and Kensley based on morphological differences, in particular the genital characteristics of these...
and Callinectes
Callinectes
Callinectes is a genus of crabs, containing 16 species, including the Atlantic blue crab, C. sapidus:*Callinectes affinis Fausto, 1980*Callinectes amnicola *Callinectes arcuatus Ordway, 1863...
, and the grunt
Haemulidae
The grunts are a family, Haemulidae, of fishes in the order Perciformes. They are numerous and widespread, with about 150 species in 19 genera, found in tropical fresh, brackish and salt waters around the world...
Pomadasys corvinaeformis. Known parasites of the longnose stingray include the tapeworms Rhinebothrium margaritense and Rhodobothrium pulvinatum, the isopods Excorallana tricornis and Rocinela signata, and the monogenea
Monogenea
Monogenea are a group of largely ectoparasitic members of the flatworm phylum Platyhelminthes, class Monogenea.-Characteristics:Monogenea are very small parasitic flatworms mainly found on skin or gills of fish....
n Monocotyle guttatae.
In common with other stingrays, the longnose stingray is aplacental viviparous, in which the developing embryo
Embryo
An embryo is a multicellular diploid eukaryote in its earliest stage of development, from the time of first cell division until birth, hatching, or germination...
s are sustained by yolk and later histotroph ("uterine milk") produced by the mother. Females have a single functional uterus
Uterus
The uterus or womb is a major female hormone-responsive reproductive sex organ of most mammals including humans. One end, the cervix, opens into the vagina, while the other is connected to one or both fallopian tubes, depending on the species...
, on the left, and bear two litters of 1–2 pups per year, one around March and the other around November. The gestation period
Gestation period
For mammals the gestation period is the time in which a fetus develops, beginning with fertilization and ending at birth. The duration of this period varies between species.-Duration:...
is 5–6 months long with vitellogenesis
Vitellogenesis
Vitellogenesis is the process of yolk formation via nutrients being deposited in the oocyte, or female germ cell involved in reproduction. It starts when the fat body stimulates the release of juvenile hormones and produces vitellogenin protein. It occurs in all animal groups lower than the mammals...
(yolk formation) occurring at the same time, such as that females can ovulate
Ovulation
Ovulation is the process in a female's menstrual cycle by which a mature ovarian follicle ruptures and discharges an ovum . Ovulation also occurs in the estrous cycle of other female mammals, which differs in many fundamental ways from the menstrual cycle...
a new batch of ova
Ovum
An ovum is a haploid female reproductive cell or gamete. Both animals and embryophytes have ova. The term ovule is used for the young ovum of an animal, as well as the plant structure that carries the female gametophyte and egg cell and develops into a seed after fertilization...
and mate again immediately after giving birth. Longnose stingrays measure 12.3–15.3 cm (4.8–6 in) across at birth. Parturition occurs in water with relatively low salinity, but the young soon move into saltier water (half to full-strength seawater
Seawater
Seawater is water from a sea or ocean. On average, seawater in the world's oceans has a salinity of about 3.5% . This means that every kilogram of seawater has approximately of dissolved salts . The average density of seawater at the ocean surface is 1.025 g/ml...
). A known nursery area for this species occurs off the beaches of Caiçara do Norte
Caiçara do Norte
Caiçara do Norte is a town and municipality in the state of Rio Grande do Norte in the Northeast region of Brazil.-References:...
in northeastern Brazil, where newborns and small juveniles have been reported from water no more than 3 m (9.8 ft) deep from February to October. Very small juveniles have also been observed in tidal pools in Ceará. Males mature at 50–60 cm (19.7–23.6 in) across and females at 60–70 cm (23.6–27.6 in) across. At the onset of sexual maturation, longnose stingrays move back into water with lower salinities of 20 ppt or less; females over 75 cm (29.5 in) across are found only in salinities of under 5 ppt.
Human interactions
The venomVenom
Venom is the general term referring to any variety of toxins used by certain types of animals that inject it into their victims by the means of a bite or a sting...
ous tail spine of the longnose stingray is potentially dangerous to beachgoers and fishery workers. Throughout its range, this species is taken intentionally and otherwise by commercial fisheries, using gillnet
Gillnet
Gillnetting is a common fishing method used by commercial and artisanal fishermen of all the oceans and in some freshwater and estuary areas. The gillnet also is used by fisheries scientists to monitor fish populations. Because gillnets can be so effective their use is closely monitored and...
s, trawls, and longlines. It is the most commonly caught stingray off the Guyanas
Guyanas
Guyana is a country in South America.Guyana, Guayana, or Guiana may also refer to:*Guayana Esequiba, the territory of Guyana claimed by Venezuela*Guayana Region, an administrative region of Venezuela...
and the Brazilian states of Maranhão
Maranhão
Maranhão is a northeastern state of Brazil. To the north lies the Atlantic Ocean. Maranhão is neighbored by the states of Piauí, Tocantins and Pará. The people of Maranhão have a distinctive accent...
and Paraíba
Paraíba
Paraíba Paraíba Paraíba (Tupi: pa'ra a'íba: "bad to navigation"; Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation: is a state of Brazil. It is located in the Brazilian Northeast, and is bordered by Rio Grande do Norte to the north, Ceará to the west, Pernambuco to the south and the Atlantic Ocean to the east...
, and is becoming increasingly important elsewhere. The longnose stingray is also targeted by recreational surf angler
Recreational fishing
Recreational fishing, also called sport fishing, is fishing for pleasure or competition. It can be contrasted with commercial fishing, which is fishing for profit, or subsistence fishing, which is fishing for survival....
s in Ceará. The meat of its "wings" is highly esteemed and sold fresh, frozen, or salted; this ray is also utilized in the production of gelatin
Gelatin
Gelatin is a translucent, colorless, brittle , flavorless solid substance, derived from the collagen inside animals' skin and bones. It is commonly used as a gelling agent in food, pharmaceuticals, photography, and cosmetic manufacturing. Substances containing gelatin or functioning in a similar...
and high-quality oil, and at least five individuals were found in the Ceará aquarium trade
Fishkeeping
Fishkeeping is a popular hobby concerned with keeping fish in a home aquarium or garden pond. There is also a fishkeeping industry, as a branch of agriculture.-Types of fishkeeping systems:...
from 1995 to 2000. The impact of fishing on the longnose stingray population has been little-investigated outside Brazil; as a result the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is not yet able to assess its conservation status beyond Data Deficient
Data Deficient
Data Deficient is a category applied by the IUCN, other agencies, and individuals to a species when the available information is not sufficient for a proper assessment of conservation status to be made...
.