Broad stingray
A wide-ranging stingray common in Hawaiian inshore waters.
The broad stingray (Bathytoshia lata) goes by the common names brown stingray and Hawaiian stingray. It belongs to the Dasyatidae family. Its range stretches across the Indo-Pacific, from southern Africa all the way to Hawaii, and it is the most common stingray found in the shallow coastal waters around the Hawaiian Islands. This bottom-dwelling fish also lives on sandy or muddy seafloors in the Eastern Atlantic, from southern France down to Angola, and it is present in the Mediterranean Sea as well.
This stingray typically grows to about 1 meter (3 feet) across. It has a wide, diamond-shaped pectoral fin disc, a snout tip that sticks out, and a long tail with a fin fold underneath. At night, it actively hunts for small animals living on the seafloor, such as invertebrates and bony fish, often feeding near the edges of reefs. The species reproduces through aplacental viviparity. Because it faces significant threats across much of its wide range, the IUCN lists the broad stingray as Vulnerable.
Quick Facts
- Genus
- Bathytoshia
- Species
- lata
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
American zoologist Samuel Garman described the broad stingray in an 1880 issue of the Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, naming it Trygon lata from the Latin word for 'broad'. The type specimen was collected from the 'Sandwich Islands' and measures 52 cm across. Lisa Rosenberger's 2001 phylogenetic analysis based on morphological characters found that its sister species is the roughtail stingray (B. centroura), and that they form a clade with the southern stingray and the longtail stingray. A 2016 molecular phylogenetic review added Dasyatis thetidis, Dasyatis ushiei, and eastern Atlantic B. centroura as populations of this species.
Reader's Guide
The broad stingray is notable as the predominant stingray in Hawaiian inshore waters and for its wide Indo-Pacific and eastern Atlantic distribution. It is a benthic fish that forages at night near reef boundaries, excavating pits to uncover prey. A tracking study in Kaneohe Bay found that individuals roamed over an average area of 0.83 km² at night, compared to 0.12 km² during the day, and were most active two hours after sunset and before sunrise. The species is aplacental viviparous, and Kaneohe Bay appears to be a nursery area. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature upgraded its status from Least Concern to Vulnerable in 2021, as it is not known what part of its range overlaps with marine protected areas. It has become a popular subject for display at public aquariums and resorts.
Did You Know?
- The broad stingray can reach 1.5 m across and 56 kg in weight, though few exceed 1 m across.
- Its tail is twice or more the length of the disc and bears a serrated stinging spine.
- Known parasites include the tapeworms Acanthobothrium chengi, Rhinebothrium hawaiiensis, and Pterobothrium hawaiiensis.
- Off North Africa, birthing occurs in June and December, suggesting either two litters per year with a four-month gestation or two cohorts with a ten-month gestation.
More in Reef Sharks and Rays, Part 2 1-24
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