Dasyatis americana Hildebrand and Schroeder, 1928

Stingaree


Species recognized by FishBase external link, R Froese & D Pauly (eds) in 
IUCN Red List Status: Data Deficient (DD) external link Showing: scientific names

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Dasyatis americana Hildebrand and Schroeder, 1928

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Dasyatis americana Hildebrand & Schroeder, 1928
Dasyatis-americana
Dasyatis americana Hildebrand & Schroeder, 1928
Dasyatis americana Hildebrand & Schroeder, 1928

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The southern stingray is an active swimmer that feeds primarily at night, on a diet of invertebrates and small fishes. They feeding by flapping their wing-like pectoral fins to disturb the sand, and expose their prey (2). This bottom-dwelling species is often found singly or in pairs, except in the summer months when it migrates in schools to higher latitudes (4) (5). Very little is known about the natural mating behaviour and reproductive biology of the southern stingray. Mating stingrays are rarely encountered in the wild; during one such rare occasion, the male was observed closely following the female, and then biting her before grasping the female's pectoral fins with his mouth, and then copulating. It is thought that southern stingrays are polyandrous, as a female was observed mating with two males in quick succession (6). The southern stingray is ovoviviparous, a method of reproduction in which the egg develops within the female's brood chamber. The pups hatch from their egg capsules inside the mother, and are born soon afterwards (5). In captivity, gestation lasted 135 to 226 days, after which a litter of two to ten young were born (7).
"Dasyatis americana Hildebrand and Schroeder, 1928". Encyclopedia of Life, available from "http://www.eol.org/pages/1012686". Accessed 20 Mar 2010.