Spotted round ray
Species of cartilaginous fish
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Urobatis maculatus, known as the spotted round ray or Cortez round stingray, is a species of round ray, within the genus Urobatis, and of the family Urotrygonidae.[2] It is endemic to Mexico, with its natural habitats being shallow seas, subtidal aquatic beds, coral reefs, estuarine waters, intertidal marshes, and coastal saline lagoons.
| Spotted round ray | |
|---|---|
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| Spotted round ray in Bahía de Loreto National Park | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Chondrichthyes |
| Subclass: | Elasmobranchii |
| Order: | Myliobatiformes |
| Family: | Urotrygonidae |
| Genus: | Urobatis |
| Species: | U. maculatus |
| Binomial name | |
| Urobatis maculatus (Garman, 1913) | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Urolophus maculatus Garman, 1913 | |
Spotted round rays reach a length of 42 centimetres (17 in) TL.[3] The spotted round ray is ideal for captivity due to its hardiness and smaller size, and it is also a favorable candidate for breeding in aquaria.[4] It can be kept in a minimum 180 gallon aquarium with fine substrate, little décor, a bottom with much surface area (for sufficient swimming space), excellent filtration, protected internal tank equipment like heaters and filter intakes (by surrounding them with polyurethane foam barriers), and a secure lid.[4] In the aquarium trade, it may be confused with the Round stingray, Urobatis halleri, which in the hobby may be called the Cortez ray as well.[5]
The spotted round ray can be parasitized by the flatworm Pleorchis magniporus.[6]
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