Panray

Panray
Striped panray, Zanobatus schoenleinii
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Chondrichthyes
Subclass:	Elasmobranchii
Order:	Myliobatiformes
Family:	Zanobatidae Fowler, 1928
Genus:	Zanobatus Garman, 1913
Species
2, see text

The panrays are a genus, Zanobatus, of rays found in coastal parts of the warm East Atlantic Ocean, ranging from Morocco to Angola.[1] It is the only genus in the family Zanobatidae, which is included in the Myliobatiformes order,[2] but based on genetic evidence some authorities place it in Rhinopristiformes[3][4] or a sister taxon to Rhinopristiformes.[5]

The two species of panrays are generally poorly known and one of the species was only scientifically described in 2016.[1][6] They are up to about 60 cm (2 ft) long, and brownish above with a heavily mottled, blotched or barred dark pattern. They are ovoviviparous and feed on benthic invertebrates.[1]

Species

There are two recognized species in the genus:[1][6]

• Maculate panray (Zanobatus maculatus) Séret, 2016
• Striped panray (Zanobatus schoenleinii) (J. P. Müller & Henle, 1841)

References

1. Last; White; de Carvalho; Séret; Stehmann; Naylor, eds. (2016). Rays of the World. CSIRO. pp. 134–136. ISBN 9780643109148.
2. "Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes Classification". California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
3. Naylor, G.J.P.; Caira, J.N.; Jensen, K.; Rosana, K.A.M.; Straube, N.; Lakner, C. (2012). Carrier, J.C.; Musick, J.A.; Heithaus, M.R. (eds.). Elasmobranch Phylogeny: A Mitochondrial Estimate Based on 595 Species (2 ed.). CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida. pp. 31–56. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
4. Aschliman; Nishida; Miya; Inoue; Rosana; Naylord (2012). "Body plan convergence in the evolution of skates and rays (Chondrichthyes: Batoidea)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 63 (1): 28–42. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2011.12.012. PMID 22209858.
5. Last, P.R.; Séret, B.; Naylor, G.J.P. (2016). "A new species of guitarfish, Rhinobatos borneensis sp. nov. with a redefinition of the family-level classification in the order Rhinopristiformes (Chondrichthyes: Batoidea)". Zootaxa. 4117 (4): 451–475. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4117.4.1. PMID 27395187.
6. Séret, B. (2016). "Zanobatus maculatus, a new species of panray from the Gulf of Guinea, eastern central Atlantic (Elasmobranchii: Batoidea: Zanobatidae)". Zootaxa. 4161 (4): 509–522. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4161.4.2. PMID 27615946.