Taxonomy
The first known specimens of the Coral Sea stingaree were collected during a series of exploratory research cruises conducted by France and Australia in the 1980s. It was known provisionally as Urolophis "sp. B" before being described by Bernard Séret and Peter Last in a 2003 issue of the scientific journal Cybium. Its specific epithet is derived from the Latin piper ("pepper"), in reference to its spotted pattern. The type specimen is an adult male 48 cm (19 in) long, collected from Marion Reef off Queensland by the RV Soela on November 23, 1985. The sandyback stingaree (U. bucculentus) and the patchwork stingaree (U. flavomosaicus) are close relatives of this species.
Read more about this topic: Coral Sea Stingaree