The yellowback stingaree (''Urolophus sufflavus'') is a locally abundant but little-known species of stingray in the family

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 formi ...

. It is almost

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 else ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, with a range from Green Cape northward, extending only barely into

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

(

Stradbroke Island Stradbroke Island, also known as Minjerribah, was a large sand island that formed much of the eastern side of Moreton Bay near Brisbane, Queensland until the late 19th century. Today the island is split into two islands: North Stradbroke Islan ...

). It inhabits soft-substrate

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

s and has been reported from depths of 45–300 metres (150–980 ft), though it is most common on the outer continental shelf at depths of 100–160 metres (330–520 ft). This species attains a maximum length of 42 cm (17 in). It has a flattened

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 ...

disk about as wide as long, with rounded corners and straight anterior margins. There is a

skirt A skirt is the lower part of a dress or a separate outer garment that covers a person from the waist downwards. At its simplest, a skirt can be a draped garment made out of a single piece of fabric (such as pareos). However, most skirts ar ...

-like nasal curtain in front of the mouth, without lateral lobes. The tail is short and stout, measuring 64-76% the length of the disk and bearing a serrated spine. The tail ends in a small

caudal 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 ...

; there are no

dorsal fin A dorsal fin is a fin located on the back of most marine and freshwater vertebrates within various taxa of the animal kingdom. Many species of animals possessing dorsal fins are not particularly closely related to each other, though through c ...

s or lateral folds. The skin is devoid of dermal denticles. The colouration is uniformly yellowish above, sometimes with an ill-defined brown stripe running down the back. The yellowback stingaree is likely

ovoviviparous Ovoviviparity, ovovivipary, ovivipary, or aplacental viviparity is a term used as a "bridging" form of reproduction between egg-laying oviparous and live-bearing viviparous reproduction. Ovoviviparous animals possess embryos that develop insi ...

with low

fecundity Fecundity is defined in two ways; in human demography, it is the potential for reproduction of a recorded population as opposed to a sole organism, while in population biology, it is considered similar to fertility, the natural capability to pr ...

, as in other stingarees. Males mature at a length of 23 cm (9 in). This species shares the southern extent of its range with the banded stingaree (''U. cruciatus''). The two species apparently

hybridize Hybridization (or hybridisation) may refer to: *Hybridization (biology), the process of combining different varieties of organisms to create a hybrid *Orbital hybridization, in chemistry, the mixing of atomic orbitals into new hybrid orbitals *Nu ...

, highly unusual for cartilaginous fish, and produce offspring that are intermediate in colour pattern. In a 2007 study of 388 fishes, these two species were the only two that could not be distinguished on the basis of their cytochrome ''c'' gene sequences, attesting to a close evolutionary relationship. Almost the entire range of the yellowback stingaree is under pressure from Australian Commonwealth and State-managed

commercial fisheries 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 p ...

. This species is caught as bycatch in

otter trawl Bottom trawling is trawling (towing a trawl, which is a fishing net) along the seafloor. It is also referred to as "dragging". The scientific community divides bottom trawling into benthic trawling and demersal trawling. Benthic trawling is towin ...

s and gillnets; though it is generally discarded, survival post-capture is believed to be low, and in addition stingarees tend to abort gestating young if captured and handled. From 1966–67 to 1996–97, the capture rate of stingarees in trawl surveys on the New South Wales upper slope, including the yellowback stingaree, declined by some 65%. Trawl surveys off Sydney found a similar decline of 45%. These negative trends and this species' restricted distribution has led it to be assessed as Vulnerable by the

World Conservation Union 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 ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q4668730 yellowback stingaree Marine fish of Eastern Australia Fauna of New South Wales Vulnerable fauna of Australia Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Taxa named by Gilbert Percy Whitley yellowback stingaree