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Southern Eagle Ray
Myliobatis australis Macleay, 1881
A Southern Eagle Ray at a depth of 18 m, off Wattamolla, Royal National Park, south of Sydney, New South Wales, August 2002. View larger image.
A Southern Eagle Ray swimming beside the beach, Geordie Bay, Rottnest Island, Western Australia, May 2004. View larger image. Photo: Tommy Pedersen.
The Southern Eagle Ray has a blunt snout and eyes on the sides of the head. The disc is wider than long and has pointed tips. There is a small dorsal fin followed by a venomous stinging spine on the long whip-like tail.
It is brownish, grey, olive-green or yellowish above and paler below. The upper surface has a variable pattern of grey-blue spots and bars.
This species grows to 1.2 m in disc width and 2.4 m in total length.
The Southern Eagle Ray is known from southern Queensland around the south of the country and north to the south-western coast of Western Australia. It may also occur in New Zealand.
View a map of the collecting localities of specimens in the Australian Museum Fish Collection.
Further reading
- Edgar, G.J. 1997. Australian Marine Life: the plants and animals of temperate waters. Reed Books. Pp. 544.
- Last, P.R. in Gomon, M.F., Glover, C.J.M. & R.H. Kuiter (Eds). 1994. The Fishes of Australia's South Coast. State Print, Adelaide. Pp. 992.
- Hutchins, B. & R. Swainston. 1986. Sea Fishes of Southern Australia. Complete Field Guide for Anglers and Divers. Swainston Publishing. Pp. 180.
- Kuiter, R.H. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. New Holland. Pp. 433.
- Kuiter, R.H. 2000. Coastal Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Gary Allen. Pp. 437.
- Last, PR & J.D. Stevens. 1994 Sharks and Rays of Australia. CSIRO. Pp. 513.
