The coastal stingaree (''Urolophus orarius'') is an uncommon

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of round ray in the stingaree

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Urolophidae The Urolophidae are a family of rays in the order Myliobatiformes, commonly known as stingarees or round stingrays. This family formerly included the genera '' Urobatis'' and ''Urotrygon'' of the Americas, which are presently recognized as formin ...

, that is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to the eastern

Great Australian Bight The Great Australian Bight is a large oceanic bight, or open bay, off the central and western portions of the southern coastline of mainland Australia. Extent Two definitions of the extent are in use – one used by the International Hydrog ...

Appearance and anatomy

As with more common rays, the body of this species is flat and disc-shaped, with

pectoral fin Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as ...

s that broadly expand and are in a fixed relationship with the head and trunk. Characteristic of the stingaree family, the coastal stingaree's body is circular and disc-like. As with other rays, it has a long, particularly slender tail that is distinctly separate from the body. Most species of stingaree have one or more venomous spines approximately halfway down their tail. In addition to this defensive,

venom Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a sti ...

ous sting, most stingarees have obscure coloration, which acts as camouflage. The coastal stingaree is greyish-brown with dark mottling on its upper surface and paler underneath which allow it to blend with the sandy or rocky bottom.

Distribution and ecology

The coastal stingaree is restricted to the Eastern

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by th ...

in the waters of southern Australia. There, the species is known to reside from the Great Australian Bight Marine Park to the waters of western Victoria. The coastal stingaree is a marine, bottom-dweller found in shallow coastal waters. It inhabits depths of . Very little is known about the biology of the coastal stingaree due to its sparse and elusive population. they appear to behave similarly to other stingaree species. The coastal stingaree often feeds on bottom-dwelling fishes,

shrimp Shrimp are crustaceans (a form of shellfish) with elongated bodies and a primarily swimming mode of locomotion – most commonly Caridea and Dendrobranchiata of the decapod order, although some crustaceans outside of this order are refer ...

sea worm Sea worm may refer to one or several of the following phyla: See also * Marine worm Any worm that lives in a marine environment is considered a marine worm. Marine worms are found in several different phyla, including the Platyhelminthes, Nem ...

s and other small organisms. There is also evidence that the coastal stingaree is also able to eat hard-shelled

molluscs Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000 extant taxon, extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil sp ...

and

crustacean Crustaceans (Crustacea, ) form a large, diverse arthropod taxon which includes such animals as decapods, seed shrimp, branchiopods, fish lice, krill, remipedes, isopods, barnacles, copepods, amphipods and mantis shrimp. The crustacean group ...

Conservation

The coastal stingaree is not explicitly targeted by fisheries or used commercially. However, large numbers of the species are still caught as

bycatch Bycatch (or by-catch), in the fishing industry, is a fish or other marine species that is caught unintentionally while fishing for specific species or sizes of wildlife. Bycatch is either the wrong species, the wrong sex, or is undersized or juve ...

by these fisheries. The stingarees have low birth rates and slow reproductive turnover. Because of this and their restricted habitat and range, the coastal stingaree is particularly susceptible to the dangers of over-fishing. The coastal stingaree occurs within the

Great Australian Bight Marine Park Great Australian Bight Marine Park is the name given to a group of marine protected areas which are located together within both Australian and South Australian jurisdictions in the Great Australian Bight and which has been in use as recently as ...

. Thus, this part of their territory exists within the Benthic Protection Zone (BPZ) which gives the species a degree of protection. The park's mission is not only to maintain

biodiversity Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic (''genetic variability''), species (''species diversity''), and ecosystem (''ecosystem diversity'') l ...

in the area, but also to provide ecologically

sustainable Specific definitions of sustainability are difficult to agree on and have varied in the literature and over time. The concept of sustainability can be used to guide decisions at the global, national, and individual levels (e.g. sustainable livin ...

use of marine resources. However, fisheries and recreational fishing are still permitted to operate in parts of the park and BPZ.

Exploration Exploration refers to the historical practice of discovering remote lands. It is studied by geographers and historians. Two major eras of exploration occurred in human history: one of convergence, and one of divergence. The first, covering most ...

and

drilling Drilling is a cutting process where a drill bit is spun to cut a hole of circular cross-section in solid materials. The drill bit is usually a rotary cutting tool, often multi-point. The bit is pressed against the work-piece and rotated at ra ...

for

petroleum Petroleum, also known as crude oil, or simply oil, is a naturally occurring yellowish-black liquid mixture of mainly hydrocarbons, and is found in geological formations. The name ''petroleum'' covers both naturally occurring unprocessed crud ...

has continued since 2003. These activities may yet threaten the coastal stingaree population. , no conservation measures focus on the coastal stingaree.

References

External links

: ''Urolophus orarius''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5032287

coastal stingaree The coastal stingaree (''Urolophus orarius'') is an uncommon species of round ray in the stingaree family, Urolophidae, that is endemic to the eastern Great Australian Bight. Appearance and anatomy As with more common rays, the body of this sp ...

Fauna of South Australia Marine fish of Southern Australia Taxa named by Peter R. Last Taxa named by Martin F. Gomon