Neotrygon orientalis Last, White et Serét, 2016

Cabebe-Barnuevo, Roxanne, Penuela, Dianne Frances, Delloro Jr., Emmanuel S., Babaran, Ricardo P., Motomura, Hiroyuki & Malay, Maria Celia D., 2025, Cartilaginous fish diversity in the Western Visayas, Philippines, including two putative unidentified species and the first record of Carcharhinus plumbeus (Elasmobranchii: Carcharhiniformes: Carcharhinidae), Acta Ichthyologica et Piscatoria 55, pp. 51-75 : 51-75

Neotrygon orientalis Last, White et Serét, 2016

IUCN standard name :: Oriental Bluespotted Maskray Fig. 16 , Table 2

Material examined.

UPVMI 3113, 256 mm DW, female, fish market, Aklan Province, Philippines, 22 November 2020, coll. M. Macavinta.

Morphological description.

Body moderate in size; dorsal area with median row of small thorns located on center region; disc not greatly expanded, rhomboid. Eyes moderately large and elongated; spiracles very wide. Snout short, slightly angular with rounded tip. Mouth small. Nostrils moderately oval, partially covered with nasal flap; nasal flap skirt-shaped, slightly reaching mouth. Pectoral-fin apex angular; front margins convex; posterior margins straight. Pelvic fin short, subtriangular. Tail tapering, not whip-like; dorsal and ventral skin folds present; spine on caudal fin already removed upon purchase. Gill slits located on underside moderately short, with five slits on each side.

Color of fresh specimen. Dorsal area pale brown with light blue spots outlined with darker blue of various sizes; ventral area white, becoming brown on edges; faint brown band present across the eyes; eyes and spiracles surrounded with numerous, tiny black spots, with a few similar black spots widely scattered on the dorsal area; tail dark brown with irregular black and white bands.

Color of preserved specimen. Central region of the dorsal area dark brown to black; disc area light brown; blue spots transformed into dark brown; ventral area pale white, becoming brown on edges; tiny black spots still visible; black and white bands on tail still distinct.

Distribution.

Australia, New Guinea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Borneo, Philippines, and Taiwan ( Last et al. 2016 b; Manjaji-Matsumoto 2017; Borsa et al. 2018)

DNA barcode.

The COI sequence of 617 bp was submitted to GenBank under accession number OR 614465.

Conservation status.

Least Concern

Remarks.

Neotrygon orientalis was originally described based on 12 specimens collected from Indonesia, with a size range of 145–343 mm DW, although it can reach a maximum DW of 380 mm ( Last et al. 2016 b; Manjaji-Matsumoto 2017). This species is part of the broader Neotrygon kuhlii (Müller et Henle, 1841) complex. In this study, the sequence generated from the Philippine specimen was compared to verified COI gene sequences of Neotrygon spp. provided by Last et al. (2016 b) and Hata and Motomura (2024). Phylogenetic tree analysis showed that the Philippine specimen clustered with the verified COI sequences of N. orientalis (Fig. 12 ). Therefore, based on both morphological characteristics and COI data, the collected specimen was identified as N. orientalis .

The precise distribution of N. orientalis in Philippine waters remains unclear, as Last et al. (2016 b) noted that specimens from the Philippines previously identified as N. kuhlii by Naylor et al. (2012) and Compagno et al. (2005) might, in fact, be N. orientalis . Nonetheless, reports by Manjaji-Matsumoto (2017), and this study provide confirmed evidence of N. orientalis from Panay Island, Philippines.

Figures

Figure 12. Maximum likelihood phylogenetic tree of partial COI sequences from batoids, constructed using the Kimura 2 - parameter model. Philippine sequences are identified by UPVMI voucher codes, with related genera color-coded. Bootstrap support values (1,000 replicates) are shown at nodes, and the scale bar represents evolutionary distance in substitutions per site.

Figure 16. Neotrygon orientalis from Western Visayas, Philippines, UPVMI 3113, 256 mm DW. A body in dorsal view B body in ventral side C oronasal region.