Stingray

Stingrays are a group of rays, a type of cartilaginous fish. They are classified in the suborder Myliobatoidei of the order Myliobatiformes and consist of eleven families: Hexatrygonidae (sixgill stingrays), Gymnuridae (butterfly rays), Plesiobatidae (deepwater stingrays), Urolophidae (round stingrays), Myliobatidae (eagle rays), Aetobatidae (pelagic eagle rays), Mobulidae (manta and devil rays), Rhinopteridae (cownose rays), Dasyatidae (whiptail stingrays), Potamotrygonidae (river stingrays), and Urotrygonidae (American round stingrays). There are about 220 known stingray species organized into 29 genera.

Stingrays are common in coastal tropical and subtropical marine waters throughout the world. Some species, such as the thorntail stingray (Dasyatis thetidis), are found in warmer temperate oceans and others, such as the deepwater stingray (Plesiobatis daviesi), are found in the deep ocean. The river stingrays and a number of whiptail stingrays (such as the Niger stingray (Fontitrygon garouaensis)) are restricted to fresh water. Most myliobatoids are demersal (inhabiting the next-to-lowest zone in the water column), but some, such as the pelagic stingray and the eagle rays, are pelagic.

Stingray species are progressively becoming threatened or vulnerable to extinction, particularly as a consequence of unregulated fishing. As of 2013, 45 species have been listed as vulnerable or endangered by the IUCN. The status of some other species is poorly known, leading to their being listed as data deficient.