Biological Aspects of Juveniles of the Common Stingray, Dasyatis pastinaca (Linnaeus, 1758) (Elasmobranchii, Dasyatidae), from the Central Mediterranean Sea

Abstract

Data on the biology of Dasyatis pastinaca are absent from the Ionian Sea and only a few studies were conducted in the Mediterranean Sea. Some biological and ecological aspects of D. pastinaca were investigated between November 2019 and February 2020 in the central Mediterranean Sea. In particular, we investigated several morphologic, population and ecological aspects of the species. The analysis of the stomach contents showed that D. pastinaca is a generalist carnivorous, mainly feeding on small crustaceans and polychaetes. The Levin’s index value (Bi) was 0.85. The sex ratio showed no significant differences from 1:1 ratio. Females were larger than males, but no statistical differences were found in disc width-weight and total length-disc width relationships between sexes. Most of the specimens caught were juveniles and inhabit shallow sandy bottoms.