taxonID	type	description	language	source
3C72E54ECA8D53AF914AA7B59506CECF.taxon	diagnosis	Diagnosis. Large, plain-colored stingray with broad rhombic disc, short snout; dorsal surface greyish-brown, ventral surface whitish with grey margins; oblique white spots and paired anterolaterally-directed white pores at pectoral-fin bases dorsally; pelvic fins small; tail dusky, midline preceding caudal sting bearing row of spear-shaped or star-based thorns and tubercles, post-sting portion blackish distally and covered with sharp thornlets.	en	Chen, Jia-Jie, Chen, Jiang-Yuan, Guo, Xing-Le, Zeng, Sheng, Yang, De-Yuan, Zhong, Jun-Sheng, Zhao, Shen-Long, Fang, Wen-Hong, Chen, Jian, Liu, Pan (2025): First records of Bathytoshia brevicaudata (Hutton, 1875) (Myliobatiformes, Dasyatidae) from China with mitogenomic evidence. Zoosystematics and Evolution 101 (4): 2191-2205, DOI: 10.3897/zse.101.164102
3C72E54ECA8D53AF914AA7B59506CECF.taxon	description	Description. Based on 2 specimens, 1,810 – 1,955 mm TL. Proportional measurements and counts are given in Table 1. Body large and flattened but thick, with a broad rhombic disc (Figs 1, 2). Disc width 1.2 (female) – 1.4 (male) times its length (Table 1). Back smooth with large backward-pointing tubercles (9 in male, 3 in female); tail mid-line with similar tubercles extending anterior to caudal sting (Figs 1, 2). Snout short and blunt, length 0.22 – 0.23 times disc length, with irregularly distributed upright tubercles bearing blunt stellate bases, clustered discontinuously between snout tip and anterior orbital margins (Fig. 3 A, B). Eyes small, length of orbit and spiracle 2.2 times (male) and 2.7 / 1.7 times (female) of snout length; interorbital space broad, up to 6 times orbit length (Table 1). Pectoral fins broad; anterior margins nearly straight; distal apex narrowly rounded; posterior margins smoothly convex; posterior insertion deeply notched; posterior angle bluntly pointed. Pectoral insertions slightly exceeding interorbital width. Pelvic fin origin slightly anterior to pectoral insertion; extending posteriorly beyond pectorals; anterior margin and lateral margins nearly straight, lateral and posterior angles smoothly rounded; pelvic insertion deeply notched (Figs 1, 2). Claspers (male) moderately elongate, length 0.24 times tail length; tips not reaching caudal sting (Table 1). Tail stout and tapered (not whip-like), short to moderately elongate, length 0.8 – 1.0 times disc width (males 0.8, females 1.0, estimated); base broad and depressed, width 1.4 – 1.6 times depth (Table 1); single caudal sting positioned midway, immediately posterior to dorsal thorn row comprising 15 densely arranged enlarged thorns with sharp-tipped projections from base (male) or 7 sparsely spaced thorns (female) (Fig. 3 C, D); lateral serrated thorns upright, blunt, stellate-based, numerous, extending to tip; minute thorns densely cover dorsal surface from posterior to caudal sting, extending to terminus; ventral fold distinct (Fig. 3 E, F), moderately long (0.3 times tail length) (Table 1), originating slightly posterior to caudal sting origin, extending toward tip but falls far of terminus; dorsal fold degenerated (Fig. 3 E, F). Labial furrows deep; lower jaw weakly convex. Nasal curtain square-shaped, very broad, with margin fringed; nostrils oval, oblique (Fig. 4 A, B). Mouth small (Figs 1, 2); floor of mouth with transverse series of 5 (female) or 7 (male) oral papillae; midregion with 3 (male) or 4 (female) prominent elongated papillae, lateral papillae shorter, 1 – 2 per side (Fig. 4 C, D). Teeth small, granular, with 31 (male) and 33 (female) rows on upper jaws, and 34 (male) and 37 (female) rows on lower jaws, arranged in an interlocking pavement pattern. Upper and lower teeth similar, with sharp cusps in male while rounded in female (Fig. 4 C, D). The male specimen ZJOUMBM F 00035 possesses claspers measuring 257 mm in length, situated on the posteromedial aspect of the pelvic fins (Suppl. material 1: fig. S 5). The dorsal surface of the claspers exhibit a slate-gray coloration, while the ventral surface appears pinkish due to subcutaneous hemorrhaging, with a seminal groove on the dorsal side. The claspers are robust, rigid, and exhibit a fully calcified structure, confirming the adult status of the specimen.	en	Chen, Jia-Jie, Chen, Jiang-Yuan, Guo, Xing-Le, Zeng, Sheng, Yang, De-Yuan, Zhong, Jun-Sheng, Zhao, Shen-Long, Fang, Wen-Hong, Chen, Jian, Liu, Pan (2025): First records of Bathytoshia brevicaudata (Hutton, 1875) (Myliobatiformes, Dasyatidae) from China with mitogenomic evidence. Zoosystematics and Evolution 101 (4): 2191-2205, DOI: 10.3897/zse.101.164102
