Sparsely-Spotted Stingaree

The sparsely spotted stingray has a more or less diamond-shaped pectoral fin disc wider than long, with rounded outer corners. The anterior margins of the disc are nearly straight and converge at an obtuse angle on the fleshy snout, the tip of which barely protrudes from the disc. The small eyes are immediately followed by comma-shaped spiracles with angular or rounded posterior rims. The outer rim of each nostril is enlarged into a knob towards the back. Between the nostrils is a bell-shaped curtain of skin with a finely fringed trailing margin; only the Kapala stingaree (U. kapalensis) has a similarly shaped nasal curtain. The small mouth contains five or six papillae (nipple-like structures) on the floor, most of which have forked tips. Additional small papillae are present on the outside of the lower jaw.

One of the most abundant cartilaginous fishes off southern Australia, the sparsely spotted stingaree has a relatively wide distribution extending from Crowdy Head in New South Wales to Lancelin in Western Australia, including the entirety of Tasmania. Its range has expanded southward in the past few decades, apparently due to climate change. In Port Phillip, its numbers increased from 1970 to 1991, likely as a result of fisheries depleting its ecological competitors.

During the day, the sparsely spotted stingaree spends much time resting motionless on the bottom, often buried in sand. Crustaceans form the main component of its diet, accounting for over 80% of food intake by volume with amphipods, mysids, and shrimps being most important. Polychaete worms, mostly of the relatively mobile, shallowly buried "errant" type, are a major secondary food source. On rare occasions, molluscs, echinoderms, and small bony fishes are also eaten. This species incorporates a progressively greater diversity of prey into its diet as it grows older; specifically, mysids, isopods, and amphipods decline in importance, while shrimps, polychaete worms, penaeid prawns, and crabs are consumed in greater proportions. The sparsely spotted stingaree is preyed upon by the broadnose sevengill shark (Notorynchus cepedianus).

Reported to be more aggressive than other stingarees, the sparsely spotted stingaree readily employs its venomous sting if disturbed and can inflict a painful injury on a human. It is edible, but seldom brought to market. Fishing pressure is insignificant across large portions of this ray's range, including in the Great Australian Bight, though substantial numbers are caught incidentally by commercial fisheries off southeastern and southwestern Australia in beach seines and bottom trawls. The sparsely spotted stingaree generally survives being captured, sorted, and discarded, though the process often causes it to abort any unborn young. Nevertheless, losses to fisheries appear to be sustainable at present, and thus the IUCN has listed this species under Least Concern.