To clarify the taxonomic status of Gymnura crebripunctata and Gymnura marmorata, the extent of morphological and nucleotide variation between these nominal species was examined using multivariate morphological and mitochondrial DNA comparisons of the same characters with congeneric species. Discriminant analysis of 21 morphometric variables from four species (G. crebripunctata, G. marmorata, Gy...

This brief note presents the first photographic record of butterfly ray, Gymnura cf. poecilura, from Bhagirathi-Hooghly River in West Bengal, eastern India. The photographs were discovered during a pilot survey riverine elasmobranchs Bengal. is an important contribution to knowledge elasmobranch biodiversity Indian rivers. author suggests that further research needed better understand ecology, ...

Background: A variety of abnormalities have been described for sharks, rays and skates across different ecoregions. Morphological and functional anomalies in these species, however, were not yet documented in distributions from the Canary Islands, the spiny butterfly ray Gymnura altavela (Linnaeus, 1758) and from in situ observations. The aim of the present study is to fill these knowledge gaps...

Tuna purse seine fishery is a commercial and industrial fishery in the Iranian waters of Oman Sea. An observer programme was conducted to identify the by-catch composition of the tuna purse seine fishery in the Iranian waters of the Oman Sea. Investigations were carried out on board of purse seiner vessel “named Parsian Shila” between September and October 2015. The by-catch was composed of 17 ...

Standardised diets and trophic level (T L) estimates were calculated for 75 ray species from the suborders Myliobatoidei (67 spp.) and Torpedinoidei (8 spp.). Decapod crustaceans (31.71 ± 3.92%) and teleost fishes (16.45 ± 3.43%) made the largest contribution to the standardised diet of the Myliobatoidei. Teleost fishes (37.40 ± 16.09%) and polychaete worms (31.96 ± 14.22%) were the most promin...

Elephantis, new genus, is established for Caridina natalensis Bouvier, 1925 hitherto known only from South Africa with one male specimen. Recently, three surveys by electric fishing (2004, 2008 and 2010) of some eastern rivers from Madagascar have permitted to discover numerous specimens of this species. Caridina natalensis is different from all other known species of Caridina by its remarkably...

This study explores the dichotomy between undulatory (passing multiple waves down the fin or body) and oscillatory (flapping) locomotion by comparing the kinematics of pectoral fin locomotion in eight species of batoids (Dasyatis americana, D. sabina, D. say, D. violacea, Gymnura micrura, Raja eglanteria, Rhinobatos lentiginosus and Rhinoptera bonasus) that differ in their swimming behavior, ph...