Trygonoptera Explained

Trygonoptera is a genus of round rays endemic to the waters around Australia. Müller and Henle defined Trygonoptera in 1841.^[1] It has often been considered synonymous with Urolophus, but this has been refuted by recent studies.^[2] Trygonoptera can be distinguished from Urolophus in that the outer rims of its nostrils are enlarged into broad, flattened lobes; the two also differ in aspects of the skeleton.^[3]

Species

There are currently six recognized species in this genus:

Image	Scientific name	Distribution
	Trygonoptera galba Last & Yearsley, 2008 (Yellow shovelnose stingaree)	Australia
	Trygonoptera imitata Yearsley, Last & M. F. Gomon, 2008 (Eastern shovelnose stingaree)	southeastern Australia, excluding Tasmania.
	Trygonoptera mucosa Whitley, 1939 (Western shovelnose stingaree)	southwestern Australia from Perth to Gulf St Vincent.
	Trygonoptera ovalis Last & M. F. Gomon, 1987 (Striped stingaree)	southwestern Australia.
	Trygonoptera personata Last & M. F. Gomon, 1987 (Masked stingaree)	southwestern Australia
	Trygonoptera testacea J. P. Müller & Henle, 1841 (Common stingaree)	eastern Australia,

Notes and References

1. Book: Müller, J. and F.G.J. Henle . 1838–41 . Systematische Beschreibung der Plagiostomen . Veit und Comp . 173 - 174.
2. Séret, B. and P.R. Last . 2003 . Description of four new stingarees of the genus Urolophus (Batoidea: Urolophidae) from the Coral Sea, south-west Pacific . Cybium . 27 . 4 . 307 - 320.
3. Yearsley, G.K. and P.R. Last . 2006 . Urolophus kapalensis sp. nov., a new stingree (Myliobatiformes: Urolophidae) off eastern Australia . Zootaxa . 1176 . 41 - 52. 10.11646/zootaxa.1176.1.4 .