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TOMSK, Nov 10 – RIA Tomsk. The Russian-Japanese group of researchers, which includes the chief researcher of the Biological Institute of Tomsk State University (TSU) Aleksey Orlov discovered a new species of stingrays; scientists called it "six-eyed", reported on the university website on Tuesday.
It is specified that a previously unknown representative of cartilaginous fish was caught in the region of the central Kuriles. It is assumed that this species is endemic; it lives locally and only in the waters of Russia. The find is described in an article published in the prestigious international scientific journal Zootaxa.
"The scientific name of the new stingray is Bathyraja sexoculata, which literally means "six-eyed". I proposed this option because of three pairs of light spots on the disc and head of this species. The official name of the "newbie" was given by the place of catch - Simushir stingray", - Orlov is quoted in the message.
© Эдуард Латшин
According to him, outwardly the new species is hardly distinguishable from the closely related representatives of the subgenus Arctoraja - Bathyraja (Arctoraja) smirnovi and the shield-bearing Bathyraja (Arctoraja) parmifera. However, the CO1 gene sequence in the find turned out to be unique, which made it possible to establish the status of this species as previously unknown to science.
"How widespread this species is, further research will show. But my ten-year experience of working in the northern Kurils shows that it is not there. To the south, it is also unlikely, since the deep Kuril straits prevent its spread. Most likely, it is a local endemic", - Orlov sums up.