Giant stumptail stingray (Dasyatis gigantea)

Classification (WoRMS)

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

Accepted name: Dasyatis gigantea · Authority: (Lindberg, 1930) · Taxonomic status: accepted · AphiaID: 271433.

Synonyms and superseded combinations recorded for this taxon: Dasyatis giganteus (Lindberg, 1930); Urolophoides giganteus Lindberg, 1930.

Source: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=271433 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Biology and life history (FishBase)

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

Maximum length: 178 cm · Habitat zone: demersal · Body shape: other · Vulnerability index: 78.5 of 100 · Aquarium trade: never/rarely.

FishBase notes: Ovoviviparous (Ref. 50449).

Source: FishBase species summary (SpecCode 22789) — https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Dasyatis-gigantea.html (CC BY-NC 3.0 — non-commercial use only). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Conservation status (IUCN Red List)

The IUCN Red List assesses Dasyatis gigantea (Lindberg, 1930) as Near Threatened (code NT). 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 60148_2) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/60148_2/0; GBIF IUCN Red List category endpoint (taxonKey 2419538) — https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/2419538/iucnRedListCategory. Accessed 2026-09-23.

Description and natural history (Wikipedia)

Russian ichthyologist Georgii Ustinovich Lindberg published the description of the giant stumptail stingray in his and Soldatov's 1930 A Review of the Fishes of the Far-Eastern Seas. Lindberg created the new genus Urolophoides for this species, in reference to its short tail which resembles that of stingrays in the genus Urolophus. In 1990, Nishida and Nakaya placed Urolophoides in synonymy with Dasyatis. In 1999, Dolganov proposed that this species may be the same as the red stingray (D. akajei), though Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes regards this species as a synonym of the Short-tail stingray (Bathytoshia brevicaudata)

Both known specimens of the giant stumptail stingray were caught in the Peter the Great Bay off Askold Island, near Vladivostok.

Reaching 2.3 m long and 1.8 m across, the giant stumptail stingray has a diamond-shaped pectoral fin disc much wider than long. The head is short but the snout is relatively long and projecting, measuring a fifth as long as the disc is wide. The eyes are small and widely spaced, and are followed by larger spiracles. The pelvic fins are not covered by the disc. The tail is distinctive, being shorter than the disc and ending bluntly rather than tapering to a filament as in other Dasyatis species. However, Nishida and Nakaya (1990) consider that tail damage in stingrays is common and not always obvious. There are two stout, saw-toothed spines placed near the base of the tail, and behind them a ventral fin fold; different sources conflict on whether there is also a dorsal fin fold. The skin is largely smooth, except for numerous small dermal denticles over the posterior portion of the disc, the pelvic fins, and the base of the tail.

Presently, virtually nothing is known of the giant stumptail stingray's natural history.

As only two specimens have been found thus far, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lacks sufficient information to assess the giant stumptail stingray beyond Data Deficient. It is potentially threatened by coastal fisheries.

Source: Wikipedia: Giant stumptail stingray — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_stumptail_stingray (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.