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Aetobatus flagellum (Bloch & Schneider, 1801)

Longheaded eagle ray
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Native range | All suitable habitat | Point map | Year 2050
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Aetobatus flagellum   AquaMaps   Data sources: GBIF OBIS
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Image of Aetobatus flagellum (Longheaded eagle ray)
Aetobatus flagellum
Picture by Khan, M.M.

Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Elasmobranchii (sharks and rays) > Myliobatiformes (Stingrays) > Aetobatidae (Pacific eagle rays)
Etymology: Aetobatus: Greek, aetos = eagle + Greek, batis, batidos = a ray (Raja sp.) (Ref. 45335).
More on authors: Bloch & Schneider.

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Marine; brackish; benthopelagic; amphidromous (Ref. 51243). Tropical

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

Indo-West: Persian Gulf to Borneo (patchy distribution).

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 72.0 cm WD male/unsexed; (Ref. 4440); max. published weight: 13.9 kg (Ref. 40637)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

This species is characterized by the following: dorsal without spots or rings; long rostral lobe (longest in adult males) and narrowly pointed; disc very broad and short, its length 55-70% WD; pectoral fins weakly falcate and joining head at eye level, separate from rostral lobe; posterior margins moderately concave, rear tips free and broadly rounded; spiracles large, dorsolateral and visible in dorsal view; mouth ventral, its width narrower than preoral length; nasal curtain large, deeply notched centrally and with a curtain-like fringe; teeth plate-like in a single row, the upper teeth transverse, lower chevron-shaped; disc entirely smooth, no denticles or thorns; tail elongate, whip-like, ca. 1.2-2.8 times WD when undamaged; dorsal-fin small and raked back, apex broadly rounded, free rear tip short with origin behind pelvic-fin insertions; caudal stings 1 or 2, longest greater than preoral length. Colour uniform brownish or greenish brown, mostly white ventrally, pectoral tips and posterior margins of disc mostly pale brownish (Ref. 114953).

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Inhabits inshore waters (Ref. 9862). Probably feeds on hard-shelled and bottom-dwelling invertebrates (Ref. 114953). Often found in brackish waters (Ref. 4832). Ovoviviparous (Ref. 50449). Caught occasionally by bottom trawl and inshore demersal gillnet fisheries off Jakarta. Utilized for its meat, but of limited value due to its rarity and small size (Ref.58048).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Exhibit ovoviparity (aplacental viviparity), with embryos feeding initially on yolk, then receiving additional nourishment from the mother by indirect absorption of uterine fluid enriched with mucus, fat or protein through specialised structures (Ref. 50449).

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators

McEachran, J.D. and B. Séret, 1990. Myliobatididae. p. 67-70. In J.C. Quero, J.C. Hureau, C. Karrer, A. Post and L. Saldanha (eds.) Check-list of the fishes of the eastern tropical Atlantic (CLOFETA). JNICT, Lisbon; SEI, Paris; and UNESCO, Paris. Vol. 1. (Ref. 4440)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)

  Endangered (EN) (A2d); Date assessed: 30 April 2020

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Harmless





Human uses

Fisheries: minor commercial
FAO - Publication: search | FishSource |

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Internet sources

AFORO (otoliths) | Aquatic Commons | BHL | Cloffa | BOLDSystems | Websites from users | Check FishWatcher | CISTI | Catalog of Fishes: genus, species | DiscoverLife | ECOTOX | FAO - Publication: search | Faunafri | Fishipedia | Fishtrace | GenBank: genome, nucleotide | GloBI | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | IGFA World Record | MitoFish | National databases | Otolith Atlas of Taiwan Fishes | PubMed | Reef Life Survey | Socotra Atlas | Tree of Life | Wikipedia: Go, Search | World Records Freshwater Fishing | Zoological Record

Estimates based on models

Preferred temperature (Ref. 123201): 24.2 - 29.2, mean 28.2 °C (based on 1688 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804):  PD50 = 0.6250   [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.01000 (0.00244 - 0.04107), b=3.04 (2.81 - 3.27), in cm total length, based on all LWR estimates for this body shape (Ref. 93245).
Trophic level (Ref. 69278):  3.6   ±0.5 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Resilience (Ref. 120179):  Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (Fec assumed to be <100).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153):  Very high vulnerability (85 of 100).
Price category (Ref. 80766):   Medium.