The whitenose whipray (''Pateobatis uarnacoides'') is a
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
stingray
Stingrays are a group of sea rays, which are cartilaginous fish related to sharks. They are classified in the suborder Myliobatoidei of the order Myliobatiformes and consist of eight families: Hexatrygonidae (sixgill stingray), Plesiobatidae ( ...
in the
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 ...
Dasyatidae native to the eastern Indian Ocean and the western central Pacific Ocean, where it is found in shallow water including estuaries.
This species was first described by the Dutch ichthyologist
Pieter Bleeker
Pieter Bleeker (10 July 1819 – 24 January 1878) was a Dutch medical doctor, ichthyologist, and herpetologist. He was famous for the ''Atlas Ichthyologique des Indes Orientales Néêrlandaises'', his monumental work on the fishes of East Asia ...
in 1852. He was an army surgeon who worked for 20 years for the
Dutch East India Company
The United East India Company ( nl, Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie, the VOC) was a chartered company established on the 20th March 1602 by the States General of the Netherlands amalgamating existing companies into the first joint-stock ...
in Indonesia, amassing a collection of over 12,000 fish which he took home with him when he returned to Holland. They are mostly lodged in the Natural History Museum in
Leiden
Leiden (; in English and archaic Dutch also Leyden) is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland, Netherlands. The municipality of Leiden has a population of 119,713, but the city forms one densely connected agglomeration wit ...
.
Distribution and habitat
The whitenose whipray is found in the eastern Indian Ocean and the western central Pacific Ocean, its range extending from India to Malaysia and Indonesia; it is a
demersal fish
Demersal fish, also known as groundfish, live and feed on or near the bottom of seas or lakes (the demersal zone).Walrond Carl . "Coastal fish - Fish of the open sea floor"Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Updated 2 March 2009 They occ ...
and is usually found over soft
substrates in water that is shallower than , including the lower reaches of rivers and estuaries.
[
]
Uses
The species is caught in large quantities by bottom trawling, demersal tangle netting, trammel netting, and Danish seine fishing in India, Malaysia, and Indonesia. The flesh is consumed fresh or preserved by salting and drying, and the cartilage (vertebrae) is dried and exported to the Far East. The skins are dried and used in the manufacture of galuchat
Shagreen is a type of rawhide consisting of rough untanned skin, historically from a horse's or onager's back, or from shark or ray.
Etymology
The word derives from the French ''chagrin'' and is related to Italian ''zigrino'' and Venetian ...
bags, wallets, belts, and shoes.[
]
Status
This demersal whipray is threatened by overexploitation
Overexploitation, also called overharvesting, refers to harvesting a renewable resource to the point of diminishing returns. Continued overexploitation can lead to the destruction of the resource, as it will be unable to replenish. The term app ...
, as it is fished intensively over much of its range. In Indonesia, fishing vessels must travel for much greater distances to find acceptable quantities of fish. In India, too, where it is heavily fished, the catch rate is also declining from overfishing, as well as pollution and coastal degradation. The International Union for Conservation of Nature
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...
has assessed this fish as "endangered".[
]
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5467363
Pateobatis
Taxa named by Pieter Bleeker
Fish described in 1852