Sixgill stingray

Hexatrygon bickelli

Sharks and rays
IUCN: Least concern

Usual depth243–1,010 m
Water temperature18–30 °C
Best monthsJanuary, April, and July
How commonRare

About this species

The sixgill stingray is a species of stingray and the only extant member of the family Hexatrygonidae. Although several species of sixgill stingrays have been described historically, they may represent variations in a single, widespread species. This flabby, heavy-bodied fish, described only in 1980, is unique among rays in having six pairs of gill slits rather than five. Growing up to 1.7 m (5.6 ft) long, it has a rounded pectoral fin disc and a long, triangular, and flexible snout filled with a gelatinous substance. It is brownish above and white below, and lacks dermal denticles.

Text from the Wikipedia article “Sixgill stingray”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article

Where and when

Where it has been recorded

Worldwide

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Best months

Worldwide (open data)

January: 5 records
February: 2 records
March: 1 records
April: 6 records
May: 0 records
June: 1 records
July: 5 records
August: 1 records
September: 5 records
October: 4 records
November: 2 records
December: 1 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 243–1,010 m · Deepest record: 1,299 m

240–250 m: 4 records
250–260 m: 0 records
260–270 m: 0 records
270–280 m: 0 records
280–290 m: 0 records
290–300 m: 0 records
300–310 m: 0 records
310–320 m: 0 records
320–330 m: 0 records
330–340 m: 0 records
340–350 m: 0 records
350+ m: 30 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 18–30 °C

16–18 °C: 2 records
18–20 °C: 3 records
20–22 °C: 1 records
22–24 °C: 2 records
24–26 °C: 18 records
26–28 °C: 7 records
28–30 °C: 9 records

Names and classification

English: Sixgill stingray

Names in 4 more languages

German: Sechskiemen-Stachelrochen
Japanese: Mutsueraei, ムツエラエイ
Thai: ปลากระเบนเหงือกหกคู่
Simplified Chinese: 南非六鰓魟, 比氏六鰓魟, 魴仔

Other scientific names: Hexatrematobatis longirostrum, Hexatrygon brevirostra, Hexatrygon longirostra, Hexatrygon longirostrum, Hexatrygon taiwanensis, Hexatrygon yangi

Sources and credits

Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).

Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
42 open-data records from 1968 to 2023.

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