Torpedinidae

Elasmobranch, Its Implications For Global, Parasitology, Diversity And, Naylor, G. J. P., Sc, Caira, J. N., Ct, Jensen, K., Ks, Rosana, K. A. M., Fl, White, W. T., Csiro, Tas, Last, P. R., Csiro & Tas, 2012, A Dna Sequence-Based Approach To The Identification Of Shark And Ray Species And Its Implications For Global Elasmobranch Diversity And Parasitology, Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2012 (367), pp. 1-262 : 91-92

Torpedinidae ( Torpedo rays)

Torpedo fuscomaculata (blackspotted torpedo)

( fig. 70)

A total of 11 specimens of this species, which is considered to occur off the southern regions of Africa and possibly elsewhere in the Indian Ocean, were included. The range of pairwise differences among the specimens of this species, which were all collected off South Africa, was 0–6, with an average of pairwise differences of 2.6.

Torpedo torpedo (ocellate torpedo) ( fig. 70)

A single specimen from Senegal provisionally identified by Marcelo de Carvalho (personal commun.) as this species was included. This specimen grouped most closely with T. fuscomaculata , with an average of the pairwise differences between species of 45.4.

Torpedo sinuspersici (gulf torpedo) ( fig. 70)

Two specimens of this western Indian Ocean species, both collected in the Persian Gulf off Iran, were included. These clustered together, but differed by 22 bases. They grouped most closely with but outside T. fuscomaculata and T. torpedo ; the average of the pairwise differences between T. sinusperscici and the latter two species was 52.7 and 64.5, respectively.

Torpedo mackayana (ringed torpedo) ( fig. 70)

The single specimen of this species, which has been reported from Senegal to Angola, was included in the analysis. This specimen was collected from Senegal and thus represents only a northern element of the distribution of this species. The identification of this specimen was provided by M. de Carvalho (personal commun.).

Torpedo marmorata (spotted torpedo) ( fig. 70)

The specimen included was collected from Senegal and thus represents only one element of the distribution of this species, which occurs throughout much of the western coast of Europe, the Mediterranean, and also much of Africa. Although this specimen resembles T. bauchotae , it has tentatively been identified as T. marmorata by M. de Carvalho (personal commun.) at this time.

Torpedo nobiliana (Atlantic torpedo) ( fig. 70)

The analysis included eight specimens of T. nobiliana , all collected from the western Atlantic. These specimens represent only the western part of the distribution of this species, which, at present, is considered to occur in both the western and eastern Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. However, the western Atlantic form has been considered by some to represent the distinct species T. occidentalis (see Storer, 1843). It is unfortu- nate that our analysis did not include specimens from the eastern Atlantic and thus did not allow comparison across this distribution. Until this issue can be investigated in more detail, we have used the name in common use for this species here. However, given that syntypes of T. nobiliana come from Italy, the name T. occidentalis may be more appropriate for the western Atlantic cluster if detailed study confirms the nonconspecificity of the western and eastern Atlantic Ocean forms. The range in pairwise differences among these eight specimens was 0–5, with an average of pairwise differences of 1.7.

Torpedo macneilli (Australian torpedo) and Tor-

pedo cf. nobiliana ( fig. 70)

The analysis included four specimens of the Australian endemic T. macneilli and a single specimen from South Africa initially identified as T. nobiliana . These specimens were found to group together well away from the specimens of Torpedo nobiliana collected from western Atlantic localities. The specimens of T. macneilli differed from one another by 0–2 bases, with an average of 1. This supports the work of Dave Ebert suggesting that the South African form, referred to here as T. cf. nobiliana , is not conspecific with its western Atlantic counterpart. The average of the pairwise differences between T. macneilli and T. cf. nobiliana was 5.5. The average of the pairwise differences between the South African specimens of T. cf. nobiliana and those of T. nobiliana from the western Atlantic was 27.6. The formal description of this species is currently underway (D. Ebert, personal commun.).