Coral Sea Stingaree - Biology and Ecology

Biology and Ecology

Virtually nothing is known of the natural history of the Coral Sea stingaree. It is presumably aplacental viviparous like other stingrays, with developing embryos provisioned with maternally produced histotroph ("uterine milk"). Newborns measure around 12 cm (4.7 in) long; the litter size is probably small based on related species. Males and females attain sexual maturity at under 23 cm (9.1 in) and 27 cm (11 in) long respectively. The disparity between the maturation size and the maximum size is usually large for a cartilaginous fish, and it is possible that the specimens currently identified as the Coral Sea stingaree actually represent distinct species, one large and one small. However, the presumed large and small forms cannot be distinguished by morphological or meristic traits.

Read more about this topic:  Coral Sea Stingaree

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