Torpedo fuscomaculata Peters, 1855

Roy, Sanmitra, Mohanty, Swarup Ranjan, Mohapatra, Anil & Mishra, S. S., 2019, Short Communication First Record of three Electric Rays (Order: Torpediniformes) from Odisha Coast, India, Records of the Zoological Survey of India 119 (4) : -

2. Torpedo fuscomaculata Peters, 1855

(Black-spotted torpedo ray) ( Figure 2 )

1855. Torpedo fuscomaculata Peters, Arch. Naturgesch , 21: p. 278 (Type locality: Mozambique) .

Materials examined: EBRC /ZSI F-9832, 01 ex., 189 mm TL, 132 mm (DW), inshore waters near Golabandha (19°13’48”N, 84°52’42”E), Ganjam, Odisha, H.S. Rao, 04/ viii/1984 .

Description: Disc Length (DL) 1.15 times in DW; eye diameter 17.6 times in disc length; pre-orbital length 7.6 times in DL; pre-oral length 5.3 times in disc length; pre-nasal length 7.6 times in disc length. Anterior contour of disc slightly arched; snout extremely short; eyes and spiracles small, close together on top of head; seven small knob-like papillae around the posterior margin of spiracles, central posterior papilla largest, about twice the next large outer papilla. Nostrils transverse, close together, closer to mouth than to snout; anterior lobe expanded posteriorly and medially to form nasal curtain continuous in front of mouth, except for narrow isthmus, and with a convex posterior margin and slightly overlaps the mouth. Mouth moderate in size and arched, flanked by longitudinal furrows but without well-developed labial cartilages. Pectoral fins thick near margin; two well-developed, kidney-shaped electric organs visible externally on either side of head; skin very soft and naked. Rear end of base of first dorsal fin slightly anterior to rear ends of pelvic fin bases; inter-dorsal distance shorter than the distance between the second dorsal and caudal fin. Brownish-black spots and white periphery on reddish brown background dorsally and white under surface.

Distribution: Western Indian Ocean : from South Africa to Zanzibar and possibly as far north as the Kenyan coast. Possibly occurring off smaller islands in the Indian Ocean but identity of specimens uncertain and need verification ( Froese & Pauly, 2018). From Indian waters, this species has been reported from Kerala ( Talwar, 1981) and Andhra Pradesh ( Sujatha, 2002; Sujatha et al., 2014). Torpedo fuscomaculata usually inhabit estuaries and intertidal zone, down to beyond 400 m and occur in sandy areas near deep rocky reefs.

Figures

Figure 2. Torpedo fuscomaculata Peters, 1855 189 mm TL, EBRC/ZSI F-9832.