The leopard round stingray (''Urobatis pardalis'') or Central American round stingray and Costa Rican round stingray is a small
species of
round ray found in shallow waters off the coast from
Costa Rica to
Colombia in the eastern
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contine ...
.
Taxonomy
The species name, ''pardalis'', is from the leopard round stingray's dorsal patterning which resembles that of a
leopard
The leopard (''Panthera pardus'') is one of the five extant species in the genus '' Panthera'', a member of the cat family, Felidae. It occurs in a wide range in sub-Saharan Africa, in some parts of Western and Central Asia, Southern Russia ...
.
[Urobatis pardalis ]
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Distribution and habitat
This species is endemism, endemic to the Tropical Eastern Pacific
The Tropical Eastern Pacific is one of the twelve marine realms that cover the coastal waters and continental shelves of the world's oceans. The Tropical Eastern Pacific extends along the Pacific Coast of the Americas, from the southern tip of t ...
, from Costa Rica to Colombia. They can be observed from the intertidal zone
The intertidal zone, also known as the foreshore, is the area above water level at low tide and underwater at high tide (in other words, the area within the tidal range). This area can include several types of habitats with various species ...
to a depth of around inhabiting reefs
A reef is a ridge or shoal of rock, coral or similar relatively stable material, lying beneath the surface of a natural body of water. Many reefs result from natural, abiotic processes— deposition of sand, wave erosion planing down rock o ...
, seagrass meadow
A seagrass meadow or seagrass bed is an underwater ecosystem formed by seagrasses. Seagrasses are marine (saltwater) plants found in shallow coastal waters and in the brackish waters of estuaries. Seagrasses are flowering plants with stems and ...
s, and sandy areas on continental shelves.[Leopard Round Stingray ~ Urobatis pardalis ]
'. In: Elasmodive
/ref>[(2017) Leopard Round Stingray - Profile , tapatalk.com. ]
'. In: Shark & Ray Central
/ref>
Description
The leopard round stingray has a circular body disc with a Dorsum (anatomy), dorsum that lacks tubercles
In anatomy, a tubercle (literally 'small tuber', Latin for 'lump') is any round nodule, small eminence, or warty outgrowth found on external or internal organs of a plant or an animal.
In plants
A tubercle is generally a wart-like projection, ...
. Its dorsum also possesses a grayish or tan base coloration, dusky patches that usually form a honeycomb pattern, and small, and dark spots that vary in size. The ray's thick tail (which is shorter than its disc) is armed with a venomous
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 ...
tail spine.[ The average proportions for an adult ray is around or in total length and the maximum size is around in width and in total length with a weight of around . At birth, they are around in total length and at ]Sexual maturity
Sexual maturity is the capability of an organism to reproduce. In humans it might be considered synonymous with adulthood, but here puberty is the name for the process of biological sexual maturation, while adulthood is based on cultural definit ...
, around in width and in total length.[
]
Biology and ecology
This abundant, benthopelagic
The demersal zone is the part of the sea or ocean (or deep lake) consisting of the part of the water column near to (and significantly affected by) the seabed and the benthos. The demersal zone is just above the benthic zone and forms a layer o ...
ray is probably nocturnal and is observed staying stationary during the day on reefs. It is also 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 ...
and takes 2 to 3 years to reach Sexual maturity, growing at a rate of about in width and in total length a year. The ray's diet consists of 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 ...
, small crabs
Crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting " tail" ( abdomen) ( el, βραχύς , translit=brachys = short, / = tail), usually hidden entirely under the thorax. They live in al ...
and fish
Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% ...
, and worm
Worms are many different distantly related bilateral animals that typically have a long cylindrical tube-like body, no limbs, and no eyes (though not always).
Worms vary in size from microscopic to over in length for marine polychaete worm ...
s and it has a lifespan of 8 to 12 years.[
]
Relationship to humans
The leopard round stingray is fairly harmless, yet it does pose danger to humans given its venomous tail spine. Despite this, they make their way into the aquarium trade. They are probably quite hardy in captivity although a single ray requires a minimum 200-gallon aquarium with abundant swimming room and heavy filtration.Urobatis halleri
The round stingray (''Urobatis halleri'') or Haller's round ray and Little round stingray is a species of round ray, family Urotrygonidae, found in the coastal waters of the tropical and subtropical parts of the northeastern Pacific Ocean. It ...
) which has smaller spots that are generally the same size. It could potentially be more plentiful than the leopard round stingray as well.[ The ''Cortez round stingray'' (]Urobatis maculatus
''Urobatis maculatus'', known as the spotted round ray or Cortez round stingray, is a species of Urotrygonidae, round ray, within the genus ''Urobatis'', and of the family Urotrygonidae. It is endemic to Mexico, with its natural habitats being ...
) may also be misidentified as the leopard round stingray.[Leopard Round Stingray (Urobatis pardalis) ]
'. In: A Community for Naturalists · iNaturalist.or
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References
External links
*
{{Taxonbar, from=Q21304343
Urobatis, Leopard round stingray
Western North American coastal fauna
Western South American coastal fauna
Taxa named by William Bussing
Leopard round stingray