Aetobatus ocellatus explained

The ocellated eagle ray or the whitespotted eagle ray, Aetobatus ocellatus, is a species of cartilaginous fish in the eagle ray family Myliobatidae. It is found in the tropical Indo-West Pacific region.^[1] In the past it was included in the spotted eagle ray (A. narinari), a species restricted to the Atlantic after the split.^{[2] [3] [4]}

Description and behavior

Compared to the spotted eagle ray, A. ocellatus has a longer tail (mean total length 281 vs. 263% DW) and a longer stinging spine (mean length 9.7 vs. 8.9% DW). The background coloration of the dorsal surface in A. ocellatus is dark greenish/greying to almost blackish whereas A. narinari is much paler, medium yellowish to brownish. Their foraging range is based on anthropogenic noises with populations structured according to ontogenetic stage.^[5]

Reproduction

The ocellated eagle ray exhibits ovoviviparity with embryos feeding on yolk initially, then receiving additional nutrients from the mother through indirect absorption of enriched uterine fluid.^[6] The gestation period lasts over 12 months and only produces a few pups.^[7]

Diet

The ocellated eagle ray feeds primarily on gastropod, bivalve molluscs, crustaceans, worms, octopuses and fishes.^[8]

External links

• • Whitespotted Eagle Ray @ Fishes of Australia

Notes and References

1. Kuhl, H. in van Hasselt, J.C. (1823) Uittreksel uit een’ brief van Dr. J. C. van Hasselt, aan den Heer C. J. Temminck. Algemein Konst- en Letter-bode I Deel (no. 20): 315–317.
2. White, W.T., P.R. Last, G.J.P. Naylor, K. Jensen & J.N. Caira (2010). Clarification of Aetobatus ocellatus (Kuhl, 1823) as a valid species, and a comparison with Aetobatus narinari (Euphrasen, 1790) (Rajiformes: Myliobatidae). Pp. 141–164 in: Last, P.R., White, W.T. & Pogonoski, J.J., eds. (2010). Descriptions of new sharks and rays from Borneo. CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research Paper no. 32.
3. 10.1093/jhered/esp005. Species Delineation and Evolutionary History of the Globally Distributed Spotted Eagle Ray (Aetobatus narinari). 2009. Richards. V. P.. Henning. M.. Witzell. W.. Shivji. M. S.. Journal of Heredity. 100. 3. 273–283. 19304741. free.
4. 10.11646/zootaxa.3860.2.3. A revised generic arrangement for the eagle ray family Myliobatidae, with definitions for the valid genera. 2014. White. William T.. Zootaxa. 3860. 2. 149–66. 25283197.
5. Lecchini . David . Distribution patterns of ocellated eagle rays, Aetobatus ocellatus, along two sites in Moorea Island, French Polynesia . Cybium . 2018 . 42 . 4 . 313–320.
6. 10.1098/rspb.1997.0181. Evolutionary transitions among egg–laying, live–bearing and maternal inputs in sharks and rays. 1997. Dulvy. Nicholas K.. Reynolds. John D.. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences. 264. 1386. 1309–1315. 1688595. 1997RSPSB.264.1309D.
7. Schluessel . V . Diet and reproduction in the white-spotted eagle ray Aetobatus narinari from Queensland, Australia and the Penghu islands, Taiwan . Mar. Freshw. Res. . 2010 . 61 . 11 . 1278–1289. 10.1071/MF09261 .
8. Randall, J.E. and Cea, A. (2011). Shore fishes of Easter Island. University of Hawai'i Press, 164 p.