California round stingray
| California round stingray | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
California round stingray ( Urobatis halleri ) |
||||||||||||
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Urobatis halleri | ||||||||||||
| ( Cooper , 1863) |
The California round stingray ( Urobatis halleri ) is a small ray that occurs on the Pacific coast of North and Central America from Eureka in northern California to Panama . It is the most common ray in its range.
features
The Californian round stingray is a maximum of 58 centimeters long, with a maximum weight of 1.36 kg. The top of the body is brownish or grayish brown, usually with yellowish dots or reticulated markings. The ventral side is whitish or yellow. Its body disc is approximately round, the tail shorter than the body disc. It is provided with a caudal fin and, on the upper side, with a long poisonous sting.
Toxicity
Every year, many swimmers or people stepping on a ray in shallow water are injured by California round stingrays. The poison affects the circulation and can lead to respiratory paralysis and cardiac arrest. Most injuries, however, are mild. In investigations of about 4,000 round stingrays caught on the coast of California, almost half had lost the sheath surrounding the stinger and thus also the venom gland in it. These animals can only cause mechanical injuries.
Way of life
The Californian round stingray lives near the coast in shallow water, usually from the water surface to a depth of 15 meters and a maximum of 90 meters. Preferred habitats are sandy or muddy regions, sometimes near rocky reefs. Females are found on average in deeper water. Off California, the rays mate in June and September. They are ovoviviparous and give birth to one to six young rays per litter. California round stingrays feed on invertebrates and small fish.
literature
- Eschmeyer, Herald, Hamann: Pacific Coast Fishes , Peterson Field Guides, ISBN 0-395-33188-9
- ↑ Kurt Fiedler: Textbook of Special Zoology, Volume II, Part 2: Fish . Gustav Fischer Verlag Jena, 1991, ISBN 3-334-00339-6
Web links
- Round stingray on Fishbase.org (English)
- Urobatis halleri inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Posted by: Ebert, DA, 2006. Retrieved November 3, 2013.