Memoirs of the Museum of Victoria 48(1): 57-61 (1987)
ISSN 0814-1827
NEW AUSTRALIAN FISHES. PART 14.
TWO NEW SPECIES OF DASYATIS (DASYATIDIDAE)
By PR. Last
CSIRO Division of Fisheries Research, GPO Box 1538, Hobart,
Tasmania 7001, Australia
Abstract
Last, P.R. 1987. New Australian fishes. Part 14. Two new species of Dasyatis (Dasyatididae).
Mem. Mus. Vict. 48: 57-61
Two new stingrays, Dasyatis leylandi sp. nov. and D. annotates sp. nov., are described. These
species resemble the widely distributed and sympatric D. kuhlii (Miiller & Henle) but differ in
colour pattern and external morphology. Unlike D. kuhlii the new species lack blue spots on
the dorsal surface of the disc. D. annotates is uniformly dull green dorsally and has a distinctive
medial series of thorns on the tail. Dasyatis leylandi has a dorsal coloration consisting of a net-
work of dark yellowish or brownish reticulations superimposed on a paler background and lacks
tail thorns.
Introduction
The genera and species of stingrays (Family
Dasyatididae) are currently under review. The
genus Dasyatis Rafinesque presently contains
several species complexes, each of which may be
distinct at the generic level. Osteological studies
in progress indicate that a complex of species,
similar to the widely distributed D. kuhlii (Muller
& Henle), may be referable to Amphotistius Gar-
man, considered by recent authorities to be a
junior synonym of Dasyatis (Compagno and
Heemstra, 1984; Masuda et al., 1984). To avoid
further confusion of the nomenclature, however,
two new species described herein from north-
western Australia are tentatively referred to
Dasyatis.
Bracketed morphometries provided in the di-
agnoses represent values for the holotypes.
Material is lodged in the collections of CSIRO
Division of Fisheries Research, Hobart, and the
Museum of Victoria, Melbourne (NMV).
Dasyatis
Dasyatis Rafinesque, 1810: 16
Type species. Dasyatis
monotypy.
ujo Rafinesque, by
Dasyatis annotatus sp. nov.
Figure 1
Dasyatis sp. 1. Gloerfelt-Tarp & Kailola, 1984: 37.
Amphotistius sp. 1. Sainsbury, Kailola & Leyland, 1985:
48, fig on opposing page.
Material examined. Holotype: Western Australia, Northwest
Shelf, M. Baron, 1984, CSIRO T449 (male, 212 mm disc
width).
Paratypes: Northern Territory, north of Vansittart Bay
(13°25'S, 126°19'E), 62 m, trawled, FRV "Soela", 26 Jun 1980
(stn S05/80/18), CSIRO CA1248 (immature male, 191 mm
disc width); north of Groote Eylandt, prawn trawl, 28 Jun
1981, CSIRO CA2404 (female with pup, 196 mm disc width).
Arafura Sea, 46 m, trawled, M. Baron, 11 Nov 1983, CSIRO
T691 (female, 242 mm disc width) and T695 (male, 209 mm
disc width); 09°47'S, m°2(yE, 50 m, trawled, "Pao Yuan No.
1", M. Baron, 22 Feb 1982, CSIRO T694 (female, 220 mm
disc width) and T696 (female, 234 mm disc width); M. Baron,
Mar 1983, CSIRO T697 (male, 212 mm disc width).
Diagnosis. Disc moderately flat, rhomboidal,
width 1.12-1.28 (1.21) times length; pectoral apices
narrowly rounded; preorbital snout broadly tri-
angular, margin slightly concave, tip pointed.
Disc surface largely naked, denticles confined to
separate, single series on disc and tail; denticles
on disc small, retrorse, closely spaced, 4-13 (9)
(number proportional to size) on midline behind
spiracles; 0-4 (3) (rarely absent) similar denticles
situated on midline of tail before sting. Eyes
small, size not sexually dimorphic; distance from
anterior margin of eye to posterior apex of spira-
57
BioStor
