Daisy stingray
| Pearl stingray | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Chondrichthyes |
| Order: | Myliobatiformes |
| Family: | Dasyatidae |
| Genus: | Dasyatis |
| Species: | D. margarita |
| Binomial name | |
|
Dasyatis margarita (Günther, 1870) |
|
| Synonyms | |
|
Trygon margarita Günther, 1870 |
|
Trygon margarita Günther, 1870
The daisy stingray, Dasyatis margarita, is a little-known species of stingray in the family Dasyatidae, found in shallow waters along the coast of West Africa. This species typically grows to 60 cm (24 in) across and has a rounded pectoral fin disc and (in adults) a wide band of dermal denticles over its back. It is characterized by a greatly enlarged, nacreous denticle in the middle of its back called a "pearl spine"; this feature is shared with the similar but much smaller pearl stingray (D. margaritella), which has often been confused with this species. The daisy stingray feeds mainly on crustaceans and exhibits aplacental viviparity, with litters of 1–4 young. Heavily pressured by fisheries and possibly habitat degradation, this once-common species is declining and has been assessed as Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
British zoologist Albert Günther originally described the daisy stingray as Trygon margarita, in his 1870 Catalogue of the Fishes in the British Museum; subsequent authors synonymized the genus Trygon with Dasyatis. This species resembles, and is likely closely related to, the pearl stingray and the Niger stingray (D. garouaensis), both also native to West Africa. Numerous scientific accounts of the daisy stingray have been confounded by confusion with the pearl stingray; this confusion dates back to the two West African specimens referenced in Günther's original description. In 1984, Leonard Compagno and Tyson Roberts identified one of them as a pearl stingray and designated the other as the lectotype for this species. The specific epithet margarita is derived from the Latin for "pearl", referring to the large tubercle on its back.
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