Community Composition of Elasmobranch Fishes Utilizing Intertidal Sand Flats in Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia

Abstract

Thirteen elasmobranch species were collected during a 4-yr survey of the intertidal margins of Moreton Bay, a large subtropical embayment in southeastern Queensland, Australia. Stingrays were the most common large predators in the intertidal zone, with total catch dominated numerically by blue-spotted maskray, Neotrygon kuhlii (53.8%); estuary stingray, Dasyatis fluviorum (22.2%); and brown whipray, Himantura toshi (10.2%). There was a significant female bias within intertidal populations of N. kuhlii and D. fluviorum. Courtship behaviors were observed in July and September in D. fluviorum and in January for whitespotted eagle ray, Aetobatus narinari. Dasyatis fluviorum, a threatened Australian endemic stingray, remains locally abundant within the bay. Overall, the inshore elasmobranch fauna of Moreton Bay is relatively species rich compared with similar studies elsewhere in Australia, emphasizing the regional importance of this ecosystem.

Size, sex and seasonal patterns in the assemblage of Carcharhiniformes in a sub‐tropical bay

“…The capture of 13 species of Carcharhiniformes in this study equalled the number reported for a tropical bay in the Gulf of Carpentaria, Australia (Blaber et al , 1995) and was higher than those reported in Cleveland Bay, Australia (12 species; Simpfendorfer & Milward, 1993) and Herald Bight, Shark Bay, Western Australia (White & Potter, 2004). Shallow regions of Moreton Bay also provide habitat for numerous species of rays, including the blue‐spotted maskray Neotrygon kuhlii (Müller & Henle 1841) and the estuarine stingray Dasyatis fluviorum Ogilby 1908 which are abundant in intertidal regions (Pierce et al , 2011). The abundance of sharks and rays in shallow regions of Moreton Bay suggest that they may influence the structure of the local ecosystem.…”

Population genetic structure of blue-spotted maskray Neotrygon kuhlii and two other Indo-West Pacific stingray species (Myliobatiformes: Dasyatidae), inferred from size-polymorphic intron markers

“…Stingrays are viviparous (Hamlett and Hysell, 1998) and only the active movement of juveniles or adults potentially translates into gene flow, thus partly explaining a possible higher level of genetic differentiation in N. kuhlii than generally observed in coastal benthic teleosts where an IBD pattern has been observed. This is further supported by tagging experiments in N. kuhlii, which indicate this as a sedentary species (Pierce et al, 2011).…”

Ontogenetic Shifts in Brain Organization in the Bluespotted Stingray <b><i>Neotrygon kuhlii</i></b> (Chondrichthyes: Dasyatidae)

“…In this study, we investigated ontogenetic shifts in brain size and brain organization in one species of batoid chondrichthyan, i.e., the bluespotted stingray Neotrygon kuhlii (Müller and Henle, 1841). This relatively small species of stingray is common in shallow coastal and estuarine habitats in Southeast Queensland, Australia [Last and Stevens, 1994;Pierce et al, 2009Pierce et al, , 2011. Although a preliminary analysis using a small number of individuals has suggested ontogenetic shifts in the brain of N. kuhlii , here we present a far more comprehensive assessment of ontogenetic shifts in relative brain size, the relative development of seven major brain areas, and cerebellar foliation and cerebellar asymmetry across a much larger data set that encompasses the full postpartum developmental range in this species.…”