Morphological Deformities in Stingrays (Dasyatidae) from the Rameswaram Island, South India

Abstract

The present study reports the deformities in two different species of stingrays Maculabatis bineeshi and Neotrygon kuhlii along the Rameswaram Island. The structural deformity was observed in M. bineeshi species that were collected from Pamban–Therkuvadi fish landing centre, which was the first to be recorded along the Indian coasts with rostral irregularity of the aperture from the anterior margin of the snout around the right margin of the disc from the first gill opening. In addition to the first record, vertebral column deformity was observed in N. kuhlii, which was collected from Kunthukal fish landing centre. The external morphological characteristics showed a curved tail that had vertebral column deformities with severe scoliosis–kyphosis–lordosis starting from the pectoral girdle to the tail region