Abnormal honeycomb stingrays Himantura uarnak (Dasyatidae) from the Syrian coast (Eastern Mediterranean Sea)

Abstract

The authors report in the present paper from the Syrian coast the captures of two specimens of the honeycomb stingray, Himantura uarnak (Forskål, 1775) displaying a morphological abnormality. Both specimens exhibited pectoral non-adherent to the head. They are female specimens, and one of them was a large specimen, an adult female measuring 1485 mm in disc width (DW) and 3130 in total length (TL), its total body weight (TBW) reached 150 kg, probably the largest and heaviest honeycomb stingray known to date. The second specimen was a juvenile female. The abnormality herein described is the most widespread in batoid species. This kind of abnormality is due to the fact that the pectoral fins failed to fuse during the embryonic development. This abnormality has a genetic origin but according to authors, it could be also the result of other factors, mainly environmental such as the role of pollutants.