Occurrence of pelagic stingray Pteroplatytrygon violacea (Bonaparte, 1832) in the North Sea

Abstract

A mature male pelagic stingray Pteroplatytrygon violacea (99 cm total length, 33·5 cm disc length and 42 cm disc width; 2·5 kg) was caught by commercial Nephrops trawl in the North Sea (at c. 54º49′ N; 0º57′ W) on 14 November 2005. Records of P. violacea in the north‐east Atlantic are reviewed, with only two vagrant specimens known from the North Sea, representing the most northerly records of this species in the Atlantic Ocean.