Deepwater stingray
Encyclopedia
The deepwater stingray or giant stingaree (Plesiobatis daviesi) is a species
of stingray
and the sole member of the family
Plesiobatidae. It is widely distributed in the Indo-Pacific
, typically over fine sediment
s on the upper continental slope at depths of 275–680 m (902.2–2,231 ft). This species reaches 2.7 m (8.9 ft) in length and 1.5 m (4.9 ft) in width. It has an oval pectoral fin disc with a long, flexible, broad-angled snout. Most of the entire latter half of its tail supports a distinctively long, slender, leaf-shaped caudal fin. Its coloration is dark above and white below, and its skin is almost completely covered by tiny dermal denticles.
Preying on crustacean
s, cephalopod
s, and bony fishes, the deepwater stingray may hunt both on the sea floor and well above it in open water. It is probably aplacental viviparous, with the mother supplying her gestating young with histotroph ("uterine milk"). Captured rays merit caution due to their long, venom
ous stings. This species is taken by deepwater commercial fisheries, but in numbers too small to significantly threaten its population. Therefore, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has assessed it as Least Concern
.
. He named the new species daviesi in honor of David H. Davies, the late Director of the ORI, and placed it in the genus Urotrygon based on its long, low caudal fin and lack of a dorsal fin
. The type specimens were collected during September 1996 near the Limpopo River
mouth in Mozambique
: the holotype
is a mature male 92 cm (36.2 in) across, and the paratype
is an immature male 33 cm (13 in) across. Other common name
s for this species include Davies' stingray and giant stingray.
In a 1990 morphological
phylogenetic study, Kiyonori Nishida concluded that the deepwater stingray and the sixgill stingray
(Hexatrygon bickelli) were the most basal stingray
s (suborder Myliobatoidei). Therefore, he moved this species to its own genus, Plesiobatis, and family, Plesiobatidae; the name is derived from the Greek
plesio ("primitive") and batis ("ray"). Subsequent morphological studies have corroborated the basal position of Plesiobatis, but disagreed on its relationships to nearby taxa
. John McEachran, Katherine Dunn, and Tsutomu Miyake in 1996 could not fully resolve the position of Plesiobatis, and thus assigned it provisionally to the family Hexatrygonidae. McEachran and Neil Aschliman in 2004 found Plesiobatis to be the sister taxon of Urolophus
, and recommended that it be placed in the family Urolophidae. Until the phylogeny is better-resolved, authors have tended to preserve the family Plesiobatidae.
: KwaZulu-Natal
in South Africa
and Mozambique, the Gulf of Mannar
, the northern Andaman Islands
, the South China Sea
, the Ryukyu Islands
and the Kyushu-Palau Ridge, northwestern Australia
from the Rowley Shoals
to Shark Bay
, northeastern Australia from Townsville
to Wooli, New Caledonia
, and Hawaii
. This bottom-dwelling species generally inhabits the upper continental slope at depths of 275–680 m (902.2–2,231 ft), over muddy or silty substrates
. There is an anomalous record from only 44 m (144.4 ft) deep off Mozambique. It seems to be locally common in tropical Australian waters, but may be rarer elsewhere.
; the snout tip protrudes slightly from the disc. The small eyes are positioned just ahead of the spiracle
s, which have angular posterior rims. The large, circular nostrils are placed closed to the mouth, to which they are connected by a pair of broad grooves. Between the nostrils is a broad curtain of skin with a strongly fringed posterior margin. The wide, straight mouth contains 32–60 tooth rows in either jaw, increasing in number with age. Each tooth is small with a low, blunt cusp; in adult males the teeth at the center are sharp and backward-pointing. The five pairs of gill slit
s are small and placed beneath the disc.
The pelvic fins are small and have blunt outer corners. The moderately thick tail measures 93–102% as long as the disc and lacks lateral skin folds and dorsal fin
s. One or two serrated stinging spines are present atop the tail, just ahead of the halfway point. The slender caudal fin originates a short distance behind the sting; it is symmetrical above and below, and terminates in a rounded leaf-like shape. The skin is densely covered by fine dermal denticles, that become sparse to absent on the pelvic fins, towards the ventral disc margin, and around the mouth. The deepwater stingray is purplish brown to blackish above; some rays also have irregular darker blotches and spots. The underside is white, with a narrow dark border along the lateral disc margins. The tail is entirely dark, and the caudal fin is black. This large species grows up to 2.7 m (8.9 ft) long, 1.5 m (4.9 ft) across, and 118 kg (260.1 lb) in weight off southern Africa, though it is not known to exceed 2 m (6.6 ft) long off Australia.
The diet of the deepwater stingray consists of cephalopod
s, crustacean
s (including penaeid prawn
s, crab
s, and lobster
s), and bony fishes (including eel
s). Its long, flexible snout is well-suited for rooting through sediment
, while the presence of mesopelagic
species in its diet suggest that it may also hunt well above the sea floor. One recorded individual was found severely gouged by kitefin shark
s (Dalatias licha), which are capable of excising plugs of flesh, cookiecutter-like, from larger animals. The deepwater stingray is presumed to be similar to other stingrays in being aplacental viviparous, and having the developing embryo
s nourished by maternally produced histotroph ("uterine milk"). Given its large size and deepwater habits, it is probably not highly prolific, with a small litter size and a long gestation period
. The young are apparently born at close to 50 cm (19.7 in) long, as evidenced by the capture of a free-living specimen of that size that still bore a yolk sac
scar. Males and females mature sexually
at 1.3–1.72 m (4.3–5.6 ft) and 1.89–2 m (6.2–6.6 ft) long respectively. The maximum size, and likely also the maturation size, varies between geographic regions.
ous sting can inflict a serious injury to a fishery
worker. It is caught incidentally
by deepwater bottom trawls and longlines; the meat may be sold but is poorly regarded. None of the deepwater commercial fisheries operating within its range (including those off South Africa, Taiwan
, Indonesia
and Australia) are extensive, and thus only small numbers of deepwater stingrays are landed. As a result, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has determined this species to be minimally threatened by human activity, and listed it under Least Concern
. However, should deepwater fisheries expand in the future, it may be susceptible to depletion due to its probable rarity and low reproductive rate.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of stingray
Stingray
The stingrays are a group of rays, which are cartilaginous fishes related to sharks. They are classified in the suborder Myliobatoidei of the order Myliobatiformes, and consist of eight families: Hexatrygonidae , Plesiobatidae , Urolophidae , Urotrygonidae , Dasyatidae , Potamotrygonidae The...
and the sole member of the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Plesiobatidae. It is widely distributed in the Indo-Pacific
Indo-Pacific
The Indo-Pacific is a biogeographic region of the Earth's seas, comprising the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the seas connecting the two in the general area of Indonesia...
, typically over fine sediment
Sediment
Sediment is naturally occurring material that is broken down by processes of weathering and erosion, and is subsequently transported by the action of fluids such as wind, water, or ice, and/or by the force of gravity acting on the particle itself....
s on the upper continental slope at depths of 275–680 m (902.2–2,231 ft). This species reaches 2.7 m (8.9 ft) in length and 1.5 m (4.9 ft) in width. It has an oval pectoral fin disc with a long, flexible, broad-angled snout. Most of the entire latter half of its tail supports a distinctively long, slender, leaf-shaped caudal fin. Its coloration is dark above and white below, and its skin is almost completely covered by tiny dermal denticles.
Preying on crustacean
Crustacean
Crustaceans form a very large group of arthropods, usually treated as a subphylum, which includes such familiar animals as crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill and barnacles. The 50,000 described species range in size from Stygotantulus stocki at , to the Japanese spider crab with a leg span...
s, cephalopod
Cephalopod
A cephalopod is any member of the molluscan class Cephalopoda . These exclusively marine animals are characterized by bilateral body symmetry, a prominent head, and a set of arms or tentacles modified from the primitive molluscan foot...
s, and bony fishes, the deepwater stingray may hunt both on the sea floor and well above it in open water. It is probably aplacental viviparous, with the mother supplying her gestating young with histotroph ("uterine milk"). Captured rays merit caution due to their long, venom
Venom
Venom is the general term referring to any variety of toxins used by certain types of animals that inject it into their victims by the means of a bite or a sting...
ous stings. This species is taken by deepwater commercial fisheries, but in numbers too small to significantly threaten its population. Therefore, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has assessed it as Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern is an IUCN category assigned to extant taxon or lower taxa which have been evaluated but do not qualify for any other category. As such they do not qualify as threatened, Near Threatened, or Conservation Dependent...
.
Taxonomy and phylogeny
The first scientific description of the deepwater stingray was authored by John H. Wallace, as part of a 1967 Investigational Report from the Oceanographic Research Institute (ORI), DurbanDurban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
. He named the new species daviesi in honor of David H. Davies, the late Director of the ORI, and placed it in the genus Urotrygon based on its long, low caudal fin and lack of a dorsal fin
Dorsal fin
A dorsal fin is a fin located on the backs of various unrelated marine and freshwater vertebrates, including most fishes, marine mammals , and the ichthyosaurs...
. The type specimens were collected during September 1996 near the Limpopo River
Limpopo River
The Limpopo River rises in central southern Africa, and flows generally eastwards to the Indian Ocean. It is around long, with a drainage basin in size. Its mean annual discharge is 170 m³/s at its mouth...
mouth in Mozambique
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
: the holotype
Holotype
A holotype is a single physical example of an organism, known to have been used when the species was formally described. It is either the single such physical example or one of several such, but explicitly designated as the holotype...
is a mature male 92 cm (36.2 in) across, and the paratype
Paratype
Paratype is a technical term used in the scientific naming of species and other taxa of organisms. The exact meaning of the term paratype when it is used in zoology is not the same as the meaning when it is used in botany...
is an immature male 33 cm (13 in) across. Other common name
Common name
A common name of a taxon or organism is a name in general use within a community; it is often contrasted with the scientific name for the same organism...
s for this species include Davies' stingray and giant stingray.
In a 1990 morphological
Morphology (biology)
In biology, morphology is a branch of bioscience dealing with the study of the form and structure of organisms and their specific structural features....
phylogenetic study, Kiyonori Nishida concluded that the deepwater stingray and the sixgill stingray
Sixgill stingray
The sixgill stingray, Hexatrygon bickelli, is an unusual species of deep-sea ray. It is distinguished by its long, soft snout and six pairs of gill slits . It is the sole member of the genus Hexatrygon and the family Hexatrygonidae...
(Hexatrygon bickelli) were the most basal stingray
Stingray
The stingrays are a group of rays, which are cartilaginous fishes related to sharks. They are classified in the suborder Myliobatoidei of the order Myliobatiformes, and consist of eight families: Hexatrygonidae , Plesiobatidae , Urolophidae , Urotrygonidae , Dasyatidae , Potamotrygonidae The...
s (suborder Myliobatoidei). Therefore, he moved this species to its own genus, Plesiobatis, and family, Plesiobatidae; the name is derived from the Greek
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
plesio ("primitive") and batis ("ray"). Subsequent morphological studies have corroborated the basal position of Plesiobatis, but disagreed on its relationships to nearby taxa
Taxon
|thumb|270px|[[African elephants]] form a widely-accepted taxon, the [[genus]] LoxodontaA taxon is a group of organisms, which a taxonomist adjudges to be a unit. Usually a taxon is given a name and a rank, although neither is a requirement...
. John McEachran, Katherine Dunn, and Tsutomu Miyake in 1996 could not fully resolve the position of Plesiobatis, and thus assigned it provisionally to the family Hexatrygonidae. McEachran and Neil Aschliman in 2004 found Plesiobatis to be the sister taxon of Urolophus
Urolophus
Urolophus is a genus of stingrays in the family Urolophidae.-Species:* New Ireland stingaree, Urolophus armatus Müller & Henle, 1841* Sepia stingray, Urolophus aurantiacus Müller & Henle, 1841...
, and recommended that it be placed in the family Urolophidae. Until the phylogeny is better-resolved, authors have tended to preserve the family Plesiobatidae.
Distribution and habitat
Records of the deepwater stingray come from a number of locations scattered widely in the Indo-PacificIndo-Pacific
The Indo-Pacific is a biogeographic region of the Earth's seas, comprising the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the seas connecting the two in the general area of Indonesia...
: KwaZulu-Natal
KwaZulu-Natal
KwaZulu-Natal is a province of South Africa. Prior to 1994, the territory now known as KwaZulu-Natal was made up of the province of Natal and the homeland of KwaZulu....
in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and Mozambique, the Gulf of Mannar
Gulf of Mannar
The Gulf of Mannar is a large shallow bay forming part of the Laccadive Sea in the Indian Ocean. It lies between the southeastern tip of India and the west coast of Sri Lanka. A chain of low islands and reefs known as Adam's Bridge, also called Ramsethu, which includes Mannar Island, separates the...
, the northern Andaman Islands
Andaman Islands
The Andaman Islands are a group of Indian Ocean archipelagic islands in the Bay of Bengal between India to the west, and Burma , to the north and east...
, the South China Sea
South China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around...
, the Ryukyu Islands
Ryukyu Islands
The , also known as the , is a chain of islands in the western Pacific, on the eastern limit of the East China Sea and to the southwest of the island of Kyushu in Japan. From about 1829 until the mid 20th century, they were alternately called Luchu, Loochoo, or Lewchew, akin to the Mandarin...
and the Kyushu-Palau Ridge, northwestern Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
from the Rowley Shoals
Rowley Shoals
The Rowley Shoals is a group of three atoll-like coral reefs south of the Timor Sea, about 260 km west of Broome on the northwestern Australian coast, centered around , on the edge of one of the widest continental shelves in the world. Each atoll covers an area of around 80 to 90 km² within the rim...
to Shark Bay
Shark Bay
Shark Bay is a World Heritage listed bay in Western Australia. The term may also refer to:* the locality of Shark Bay, now known as Denham* Shark Bay Marine Park* Shark Bay , a shark exhibit at Sea World, Gold Coast, Australia* Shire of Shark Bay...
, northeastern Australia from Townsville
Townsville, Queensland
Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Australia, in the state of Queensland. Adjacent to the central section of the Great Barrier Reef, it is in the dry tropics region of Queensland. Townsville is Australia's largest urban centre north of the Sunshine Coast, with a 2006 census...
to Wooli, New Caledonia
New Caledonia
New Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...
, and Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
. This bottom-dwelling species generally inhabits the upper continental slope at depths of 275–680 m (902.2–2,231 ft), over muddy or silty substrates
Substrate (marine biology)
Stream substrate is the material that rests at the bottom of a stream. There are several classification guides. One is:*Mud – silt and clay.*Sand – Particles between 0.06 and 2 mm in diameter.*Granule – Between 2 and 4 mm in diameter....
. There is an anomalous record from only 44 m (144.4 ft) deep off Mozambique. It seems to be locally common in tropical Australian waters, but may be rarer elsewhere.
Description
The deepwater stingray has a flabby body, with enlarged pectoral fins forming a disc usually longer than it is wide. The leading margins of the disc converge at a broad angle. The snout is thin and measures over six times as long as the diameter of the orbitOrbit (anatomy)
In anatomy, the orbit is the cavity or socket of the skull in which the eye and its appendages are situated. "Orbit" can refer to the bony socket, or it can also be used to imply the contents...
; the snout tip protrudes slightly from the disc. The small eyes are positioned just ahead of the spiracle
Spiracle
Spiracles are openings on the surface of some animals that usually lead to respiratory systems.-Vertebrates:The spiracle is a small hole behind each eye that opens to the mouth in some fishes. In the primitive jawless fish the first gill opening immediately behind the mouth is essentially similar...
s, which have angular posterior rims. The large, circular nostrils are placed closed to the mouth, to which they are connected by a pair of broad grooves. Between the nostrils is a broad curtain of skin with a strongly fringed posterior margin. The wide, straight mouth contains 32–60 tooth rows in either jaw, increasing in number with age. Each tooth is small with a low, blunt cusp; in adult males the teeth at the center are sharp and backward-pointing. The five pairs of gill slit
Gill slit
Gill slits are individual openings to gills, i.e., multiple gill arches, which lack a single outer cover. Such gills are characteristic of Cartilaginous fish such as sharks, rays, sawfish, and guitarfish. Most of these have five pairs, but a few species have 6 or 7 pairs...
s are small and placed beneath the disc.
The pelvic fins are small and have blunt outer corners. The moderately thick tail measures 93–102% as long as the disc and lacks lateral skin folds and dorsal fin
Dorsal fin
A dorsal fin is a fin located on the backs of various unrelated marine and freshwater vertebrates, including most fishes, marine mammals , and the ichthyosaurs...
s. One or two serrated stinging spines are present atop the tail, just ahead of the halfway point. The slender caudal fin originates a short distance behind the sting; it is symmetrical above and below, and terminates in a rounded leaf-like shape. The skin is densely covered by fine dermal denticles, that become sparse to absent on the pelvic fins, towards the ventral disc margin, and around the mouth. The deepwater stingray is purplish brown to blackish above; some rays also have irregular darker blotches and spots. The underside is white, with a narrow dark border along the lateral disc margins. The tail is entirely dark, and the caudal fin is black. This large species grows up to 2.7 m (8.9 ft) long, 1.5 m (4.9 ft) across, and 118 kg (260.1 lb) in weight off southern Africa, though it is not known to exceed 2 m (6.6 ft) long off Australia.
Biology and ecology
Cephalopod
A cephalopod is any member of the molluscan class Cephalopoda . These exclusively marine animals are characterized by bilateral body symmetry, a prominent head, and a set of arms or tentacles modified from the primitive molluscan foot...
s, crustacean
Crustacean
Crustaceans form a very large group of arthropods, usually treated as a subphylum, which includes such familiar animals as crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill and barnacles. The 50,000 described species range in size from Stygotantulus stocki at , to the Japanese spider crab with a leg span...
s (including penaeid prawn
Penaeidae
Penaeidae is a family of prawns, although they are often referred to as penaeid shrimp. It contains many species of economic importance, such as the tiger prawn , whiteleg shrimp, Atlantic white shrimp and Indian prawn. Many prawns are the subject of commercial fishery, and farming, both in marine...
s, crab
Crab
True crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" , or where the reduced abdomen is entirely hidden under the thorax...
s, and lobster
Lobster
Clawed lobsters comprise a family of large marine crustaceans. Highly prized as seafood, lobsters are economically important, and are often one of the most profitable commodities in coastal areas they populate.Though several groups of crustaceans are known as lobsters, the clawed lobsters are most...
s), and bony fishes (including eel
Eel
Eels are an order of fish, which consists of four suborders, 20 families, 111 genera and approximately 800 species. Most eels are predators...
s). Its long, flexible snout is well-suited for rooting through sediment
Sediment
Sediment is naturally occurring material that is broken down by processes of weathering and erosion, and is subsequently transported by the action of fluids such as wind, water, or ice, and/or by the force of gravity acting on the particle itself....
, while the presence of mesopelagic
Mesopelagic
The mesopelagic is that part of the pelagic zone that extends from a depth of 200 to 1000 metres below the ocean surface. It lies between the photic epipelagic above and the aphotic bathypelagic below, where there is no light at all...
species in its diet suggest that it may also hunt well above the sea floor. One recorded individual was found severely gouged by kitefin shark
Kitefin shark
The kitefin shark or seal shark is a species of dogfish shark in the family Dalatiidae, and the only species in its genus. It is found sporadically around the world, usually close to the sea floor at depths of . With a sizable oil-filled liver to maintain neutral buoyancy, this shark is able to...
s (Dalatias licha), which are capable of excising plugs of flesh, cookiecutter-like, from larger animals. The deepwater stingray is presumed to be similar to other stingrays in being aplacental viviparous, and having the developing embryo
Embryo
An embryo is a multicellular diploid eukaryote in its earliest stage of development, from the time of first cell division until birth, hatching, or germination...
s nourished by maternally produced histotroph ("uterine milk"). Given its large size and deepwater habits, it is probably not highly prolific, with a small litter size and a long gestation period
Gestation period
For mammals the gestation period is the time in which a fetus develops, beginning with fertilization and ending at birth. The duration of this period varies between species.-Duration:...
. The young are apparently born at close to 50 cm (19.7 in) long, as evidenced by the capture of a free-living specimen of that size that still bore a yolk sac
Yolk sac
The yolk sac is a membranous sac attached to an embryo, providing early nourishment in the form of yolk in bony fishes, sharks, reptiles, birds, and primitive mammals...
scar. Males and females mature sexually
Sexual maturity
Sexual maturity is the age or stage when an organism can reproduce. It is sometimes considered synonymous with adulthood, though the two are distinct...
at 1.3–1.72 m (4.3–5.6 ft) and 1.89–2 m (6.2–6.6 ft) long respectively. The maximum size, and likely also the maturation size, varies between geographic regions.
Human interactions
When captured, the deepwater stingray flails its powerful tail violently, and its long, venomVenom
Venom is the general term referring to any variety of toxins used by certain types of animals that inject it into their victims by the means of a bite or a sting...
ous sting can inflict a serious injury to a fishery
Fishery
Generally, a fishery is an entity engaged in raising or harvesting fish which is determined by some authority to be a fishery. According to the FAO, a fishery is typically defined in terms of the "people involved, species or type of fish, area of water or seabed, method of fishing, class of boats,...
worker. It is caught incidentally
Bycatch
The term “bycatch” is usually used for fish caught unintentionally in a fishery while intending to catch other fish. It may however also indicate untargeted catch in other forms of animal harvesting or collecting...
by deepwater bottom trawls and longlines; the meat may be sold but is poorly regarded. None of the deepwater commercial fisheries operating within its range (including those off South Africa, Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
and Australia) are extensive, and thus only small numbers of deepwater stingrays are landed. As a result, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has determined this species to be minimally threatened by human activity, and listed it under Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern is an IUCN category assigned to extant taxon or lower taxa which have been evaluated but do not qualify for any other category. As such they do not qualify as threatened, Near Threatened, or Conservation Dependent...
. However, should deepwater fisheries expand in the future, it may be susceptible to depletion due to its probable rarity and low reproductive rate.