Brown stingray (Bathytoshia lata)

Classification (WoRMS)

Full classification as recorded by WoRMS: Kingdom: Animalia · Phylum: Chordata · Class: Elasmobranchii · Order: Myliobatiformes · Family: Dasyatidae · Genus: Bathytoshia.

Accepted name: Bathytoshia lata · Authority: (Garman, 1880) · Taxonomic status: accepted · AphiaID: 1018707.

Synonyms and superseded combinations recorded for this taxon: Dasyatis lata (Garman, 1880); Dasyatis latus (Garman, 1880); Dasyatis lubricus Smith, 1957; Dasyatis sciera Jenkins, 1903; Dasyatis thetidis Ogilby, 1899; Dasyatis ushiei (Jordan & Hubbs, 1925); Dasyatis ushieri (Jordan & Hubbs, 1925); Dasybatis agulhensis Barnard, 1925; Dasybatis ushiei Jordan & Hubbs, 1925; Dasybatus agulhensis Barnard, 1925; Trygon lata Garman, 1880.

Source: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1018707 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-25.

Biology and life history (FishBase)

Measured values published by FishBase for Bathytoshia lata. Only fields the database actually holds for this species are shown; these are database values, not aquarium guidance.

Maximum length: 260 cm · Depth range: 1–800 m · Habitat zone: demersal · Body shape: other · Vulnerability index: 90 of 100 · Aquarium trade: never/rarely.

FishBase notes: Demersal or benthic on insular and continental shelves (Ref.58048, 58302); on on upper slopes to 800 m (Ref. 114953). Found on sand or mud bottoms, sometimes near coral reefs (Ref. 12951). Feeds on crabs, prawns and small bony fishes (Ref. 114953).

Ovoviviparous (Ref. 50449). Males mature at ca. 100 cm WD, and females ca. 110 cm WD; pups born at ca. 35 cm WD; but these data measurements needs confirmation (Ref. 114953). Caught often by demersal tangle net and longline fisheries operating in shelf waters.Utilized for its meat, cartilage and thorny tail (58048).

Source: FishBase species summary (SpecCode 27065) — https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Bathytoshia-lata.html (CC BY-NC 3.0 — non-commercial use only). Accessed 2026-09-25.

Distribution and occurrence records (GBIF)

764 georeferenced occurrence records for Bathytoshia lata are published through GBIF from 23 countries or marine areas. The map above plots 83 distinct locations from a sample of 764 records, omitting 42 inland records that carry an institution's coordinates rather than a collection site; it shows where the species has been observed and reported, not a modelled range.

Most records by country or area: Australia (537); Spain (60); New Zealand (58); United States of America (54); Indonesia (12); France (10); Japan (4); South Africa (4); Cabo Verde (3); Sri Lanka (3); Portugal (3); Cameroon (2); China (2); India (2); Réunion (2).

Source: GBIF Occurrence Search (taxonKey 9568834) — https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=9568834&has_coordinate=true (records CC0 / CC BY); WoRMS distribution records (MarineRegions) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1018707 (CC BY 4.0); Natural Earth 110m basemap — https://www.naturalearthdata.com/ (public domain). Accessed 2026-09-25.

Conservation status (IUCN Red List)

The IUCN Red List assesses Bathytoshia lata (Garman, 1880) as Vulnerable (code VU). No trend, population estimate or threat analysis is given here, because none is available from this source without the Red List API; follow the source link for the full assessment, including its date.

Source: IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (taxon 104071039) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/104071039/0; GBIF IUCN Red List category endpoint (taxonKey 9568834) — https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/9568834/iucnRedListCategory. Accessed 2026-09-25.

Description and natural history (Wikipedia)

American zoologist Samuel Garman described the broad stingray in an 1880 issue of the scientific journal Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, giving it the name Trygon lata from the Latin word for "broad". Subsequent authors synonymized Trygon with Dasyatis. The type specimen was collected from what were then called the "Sandwich Islands", and measures 52 cm across.

Lisa Rosenberger's 2001 phylogenetic analysis of 14 Dasyatis species, based on morphological characters, found that the sister species of the broad stingray is the roughtail stingray (B. centroura), and that they form a clade with the southern stingray (Hypanus americanus) and the longtail stingray (H. longus). As B. centroura is found in the Atlantic, this suggests that it and B. lata evolutionarily diverged before or with the formation of the Isthmus of Panama (about 3 million years ago). A further review based on Molecular phylogenetic data in 2016 added Dasyatis thetidis, Dasyatis ushiei, and eastern Atlantic B. centroura as populations of this species.

Distribution and habitat

Bathytoshia lata occurs in the eastern Atlantic and the Indo-Pacific from southern Africa to the Hawaiian Islands and is also found in the Mediterranean Sea with occasional records from Spain to Turkey.

This species is common in coastal bays with mud or silt bottoms, and may also be encountered in sandy areas or near coral reefs. It is most common at depths between 40-200 m but is found as far down as 800 m.

Description

The broad stingray has a diamond-shaped pectoral fin disc a fourth wider than long, with nearly straight leading margins that converge at an obtuse angle, and curved trailing margins. The tip of the snout is rounded and protrudes past the disc. The mouth is arched and contains five or six papillae on the floor, two of which are in front of the others.

The pelvic fins are short and rounded. The whip-like tail is twice or more the length of the disc, and bears a serrated stinging spine on the upper surface near the tail base. A long, narrow fin fold occurs beneath the tail, which eventually becomes a keel that runs all the way to the tail tip.

Larger rays have three large, elongated tubercles in the middle of the back; the tail is roughened by small dermal denticles, along with an irregular row of conical tubercles on each side and several large, flattened tubercles in front of the spine. This species is plain olive to brown above and white below. Though rarely found so far west, the similar-looking diamond stingray (Hypanus dipterurus) is the only other nearshore stingray that occurs off Hawaii; it can be distinguished from this species by its tail, which is shorter and has both upper and lower fin folds. The broad stingray can reach 1.5 m across and 56 kg in weight, though few exceed 1 m across.

Biology and ecology

During the day, the broad stingray is relatively inactive and spends much time lying half-buried on the bottom. A tracking study in Kaneohe Bay found that individuals rays roamed over an average area of 0.83 km2 at night, compared to an average diurnal activity space of 0.12 km2, and did not rest consistently in any particular spot. Rays were most active 2 hours after sunset and before sunrise, and were more active in the higher water temperatures of summer than winter. The behavior of this species was not significantly influenced by tides, likely because they inhabit deeper water.

The broad stingray feeds mainly on bottom-dwelling crustaceans, while also taking polychaete worms and small bony fishes. It excavates large pits to uncover buried prey, and is often followed by opportunists such as jacks. Foraging rays favor areas close to reef boundaries, where many parrotfish, wrasses, gobies, and other reef fishes shelter at night. Known parasites of this species include the tapeworms Acanthobothrium chengi, Rhinebothrium hawaiiensis, Pterobothrium hawaiiensis, Prochristianella micracantha, and Parachristianella monomegacantha.

Like other stingrays, the broad stingray is aplacental viviparous. Kaneohe Bay appears to be a nursery area for this species, where juvenile scalloped hammerheads (Sphyrna lewini) and it are the dominant predators. Off North Africa, birthing occurs in June and December, indicating either that females bear two litters per year with a four-month gestation period, or that there are two cohorts of females bearing one litter per year with a ten-month gestation period.

Human interactions

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature formerly assessed the broad stingray as Least Concern, but this was upgraded to Vulnerable in 2021 as it is not known what part of its range overlaps with marine protected areas. This species has become a popular subject for display at public aquariums and resorts.

Source: Wikipedia: Broad stingray — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broad_stingray (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-25.