Description

This species is distinguished from its congeners by the following set of characters: a row of thorns (strongly hooked) on mid-dorsum of tail; a pair of thorns on anterior part of scapular region (apparent to touch in smallest specimen; 161 mm TL); thorns on orbital, nape and scapular regions not encircled by light yellow or white pigment; dorsal surface covered with minute dermal denticles of uniform size and shape, no obvious larger dermal denticles (smooth to touch) (Ref. 86259).

Common Names

Taxonomic Hierarchy

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Elasmobranchii

Order: Torpediniformes

Family: Platyrhinidae

Genus: Platyrhina

Species: Platyrhina hyugaensis Iwatsuki, Miyamoto & Nakaya, 2011

Climate Zone

Biology

A benthic ray species that is narrow-ranging (Ref. 114953). According to local divers in Miyazaki, this species often occurs on very shallow sandy bottoms, at depths as shallow as ca. 1 m, in the summer season off the Nichinan Coast, Miyazaki. It is frequently captured by set net within a depth of ca. 50 m from early spring (March) to autumn (November). It was observed by a local fisherman and a fish merchant (pers.comm.), that this species was not included in almost daily set net catches (depth ca. 8-50 m) from November to March in 2007-2008 in northern Miyazaki (Kadokawa Bay) and southern Miyazaki (Meitsu, Nichinan Coast) which indicate that the species avoids lower sea temperatures in the winter season (Ref. 86259). Males mature from ca. 20 cm TL (Ref. 114953).

Habitat

neritic

Conservation Status

Vulnerable

Threat to Humans

Harmless