Southern stingray (Hypanus americanus) is a saltwater, brackish species recorded in the United States. It is mainly found over reef, at depths of 0–53 m.
Scientific name: Hypanus americanus · Water: Saltwater, Brackish
Size: up to 200 cm
The southern stingray is a dasyatid of sandy bottoms, seagrass beds, lagoons and the reef face, common in bays, estuaries and mangrove areas and found from the surface down to 53 m. It is observed singly, in pairs and in aggregations, burying in the sand during the day and foraging at night, usually in seagrass beds. It feeds mainly on bivalves and worms and also takes shrimps, crabs and small fishes, creating depressions in the sand to expose them, and it is ovoviviparous with three to four young in a litter. It may be found in cleaning stations where it is attended by the bluehead wrasse and Spanish hogfish, it is easily approached by divers, and it is equipped with a well-developed serrated spine and is capable of inflicting a painful laceration. Its range is the western Atlantic, from New Jersey and the northern Gulf of Mexico to southern Brazil, including the Antilles. Maximum length is about 200 cm, commonly about 90 cm disc width, and it can live 28 years, maturing at about 81 cm. It is a commercial species and a gamefish, with a low price category. Fishing vulnerability is very high at 77 of 100 and resilience low. IUCN lists it as near threatened.
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