Neotrygon australiae
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The species was formally described by Last, White and Séret in 2016.[1][2] The whiptail stingray species Neotrygon australiae primarily occurs in the waters of Australia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea.[3]
Scientific classification
- KingdomAnimalia
- PhylumChordata
- ClassChondrichthyes
- SubclassElasmobranchii
- OrderMyliobatiformes
- FamilyDasyatidae
- GenusNeotrygon
- SpeciesNeotrygon australiae
Named by Last, White & Serét, 2016
Close relatives
Other species of Neotrygon with a Codexery entry.
- Kuhl's maskray Neotrygon kuhlii
- Neotrygon orientalis Neotrygon orientalis
- Ningaloo maskray Neotrygon ningalooensis
- Peppered maskray Neotrygon picta
- Plain maskray Neotrygon annotata
Sources: Wikipedia taxobox: Neotrygon australiae (CC BY-SA 4.0) · order, family and genus agree with WoRMS AphiaID 1382142 (CC BY 4.0)
Conservation status
Near Threatened (NT)
- LC
- NT▲ this species
- VU
- EN
- CR
- EW
- EX
Source: IUCN Red List assessment · GBIF copy of the Red List category
How big is it?
Largest length in the source, 0.45 m, next to a 1.8 m person.
Diagram: drawn by Codexery, schematic shapes to scale (not a likeness). Length: Wikipedia: Neotrygon australiae
Where the neotrygon australiae has been recorded
Each dot is a place where the species has been observed and reported (1,315 records, half-degree grid) — not a modelled range. 18 inland records left out (institution coordinates). 2 isolated far-off records not drawn.
Map: drawn by Codexery. Data: GBIF occurrence search (records CC0 / CC BY) · Natural Earth basemap (public domain) · place coordinates: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Biology and range
It can be distinguished from Neotrygon kuhlii by its much broader disc and narrowly angular pectoral apices.[4] Female specimens reach a maximum disc width of 45.2 cm.[4] The ray has a very long tail with black and white bars on the rear.[1] Its distribution includes Northern Territory, Western Australia, and Queensland in Australia.[5]
The species also occurs in the Lesser Sunda Islands, southern Papua in Indonesia, Timor-Leste, and Papua New Guinea.[5] In Australia, this ray was previously known as Neotrygon kuhlii and Dasyatis kuhlii.[1] The disc of this ray is reddish brown to greenish, adorned with blue spots and scattered black spots.[1] This ray lives in inshore environments, from the water's surface down to roughly 90 meters depth.[5]
What the specialist sources record
The Fishes of Australia account notes that the species was placed in the genus Neotrygon by Last and White in 2008.[1] GBIF holds 1,395 occurrence records for Neotrygon australiae as of October 2026.[6] The World Register of Marine Species lists the species as accepted in the family Dasyatidae.[2] In Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, local fisheries might keep this ray for use as a local delicacy.[3][5]
References
- Bray, "Neotrygon australiae", Fishes of Australia. facts only, no text reused. fishesofaustralia.net.au
- World Register of Marine Species, Neotrygon australiae (AphiaID 1382142). CC BY 4.0. marinespecies.org
- Wikipedia, "Neotrygon australiae" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Sherman, "The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species", International Union for Conservation of Nature, 2021; Last, "Taxonomic status of maskrays of the Neotrygon kuhlii species complex (Myliobatoidei: Dasyatidae) with the description of three new species from the Indo-West Pacific", Zootaxa, 23 February 2016, p. 533–561; Bray, "Neotrygon australiae", Fishes of Australia; Sherman, "The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species", International Union for Conservation of Nature, 2021 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Neotrygon australiae" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Last, "Taxonomic status of maskrays of the Neotrygon kuhlii species complex (Myliobatoidei: Dasyatidae) with the description of three new species from the Indo-West Pacific", Zootaxa, 23 February 2016, p. 533–561; Bray, "Neotrygon australiae", Fishes of Australia; Last, "Taxonomic status of maskrays of the Neotrygon kuhlii species complex (Myliobatoidei: Dasyatidae) with the description of three new species from the Indo-West Pacific", Zootaxa, 23 February 2016, p. 533–561 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Neotrygon australiae" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Sherman, "The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species", International Union for Conservation of Nature, 2021; Last, "Taxonomic status of maskrays of the Neotrygon kuhlii species complex (Myliobatoidei: Dasyatidae) with the description of three new species from the Indo-West Pacific", Zootaxa, 23 February 2016, p. 533–561; Sherman, "The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species", International Union for Conservation of Nature, 2021 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- GBIF Backbone Taxonomy and occurrence index, Neotrygon australiae (taxon key 9301049). CC BY 4.0 (backbone); counts are facts. gbif.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Neotrygon australiae (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
More in Rays
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Neotrygon australiae (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Classification: the source article's taxobox; order, family and genus checked against WoRMS, the World Register of Marine Species (CC BY 4.0).
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List assessment.
- Occurrence records: GBIF (CC0 / CC BY). Basemap: Natural Earth (public domain).
- Word definitions: the Codexery glossary, each quoted from its Wikipedia article.
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