Mitotic Stingaree
Urolophus mitosis
- Least concern
- Card rarity: Common
- Sharks and rays
The mitotic stingaree or blotched stingaree, is a little-known species of stingray in the family Urolophidae, so named because it has light blue blotches on its back that resemble cells undergoing mitotic division. Though not uncommon, it is found only in a small area of the outer continental shelf off northwestern Australia, at around 200 m (660 ft) down. This species attains a length of 29 cm (11 in) long and has a diamond-shaped pectoral fin disc with broadly rounded corners and a skirt-shaped curtain of skin between the nostrils. Its tail has subtle skin folds running along either side, no dorsal fin, and a slender leaf-shaped caudal fin. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed the mitotic stingaree under Least Concern, as there is little fishing within its range.
Classification
- Class
- Chondrichthyes
- Order
- Myliobatiformes
- Family
- Urolophidae
- Genus
- Urolophus