PBDB Taxon

Basic info	Taxonomic history	Classification	Included Taxa
Morphology	Ecology and taphonomy	External Literature Search	Age range and collections

Dasyatidae (whiptail stingray)

Chondrichthyes - Myliobatiformes - Dasyatidae

Taxonomy

Dasyatidae was named by Jordan (1888). It is extant.

It was assigned to Masticura by Hay (1902); to Batoidea by David (1943); to Masticura by Jordan (1963); to Dasyatiformes by Cassier (1966); to Batoidea by Estes and Berberian (1970), Case (1978); to Myliobatoidea by Jonet (1968), Thurmond and Jones (1981), Kumar and Loyal (1987); to Dasyatoidea by Cappetta (1987), Balbino and Antunes (2006); to Rajiformes by Estes (1964), Herman (1977), Underwood (2006); to Dasyatoidei by Case (1981), Landau et al. (2025); to Myliobatoidei by Nelson et al. (2016), van der Laan (2019), Ebersole et al. (2019), Rana et al. (2021), Cicimurri et al. (2022), Cicimurri et al. (2025); and to Myliobatiformes by Cvancara and Hoganson (1993), Purdy et al. (2001), Tabuce et al. (2005), Cicimurri and Knight (2009), Bogan and Gallina (2011), Carnevale et al. (2014), Kent (2018), Villafaña et al. (2020), Maisch IV et al. (2025).

Synonyms

Dasyatis dezignoi was named by Molin (1861).

It was considered an invalid subgroup of Dasyatidae by Carnevale et al. (2014).
Agabelus was named by Cope (1875) [Sepkoski's age data: T Mi-m]. Its type is Agabelus porcatus.

It was considered a nomen dubium by Fordyce and de Muizon (2001); it was considered a nomen dubium by Purdy and Uhen (2008), Uhen et al. (2008).

It was assigned to Vertebrata by Cope (1875); to Platanistinae by Trouessart (1898), Hay (1902); to Platanistidae by Cope (1890), Rhoads (1903); to Eurhinodelphinae by Trouessart (1904); to Delphininae by Hay (1930); to Delphinidae by Kellogg (1928), Simpson (1945), Carroll (1988); to Autoceta by McKenna and Bell (1997); and to Cetacea by Sepkoski (2002).
Agabelus porcatus was named by Cope (1875). Its type specimen is USNM 10756, a partial skull (rostrum tip), and it is not a trace fossil. Its type locality is Shiloh Marl, which is in a Burdigalian marginal marine marl in the Kirkwood Formation of New Jersey. It is the type species of Agabelus.

It was considered a nomen dubium by Purdy and Uhen (2008), Uhen et al. (2008).

Synonymy list

Year	Name and author
1861	Dasyatis dezignoi Molin
1875	Agabelus Cope p. 363
1875	Agabelus porcatus Cope p. 363
1888	Dasyatidae Jordan
1890	Agabelus Cope p. 604
1898	Agabelus Trouessart p. 1025
1898	Agabelus porcatus Trouessart p. 1025
1902	Dasyatidae Hay p. 318
1902	Agabelus Hay p. 593
1902	Agabelus porcatus Hay p. 593
1903	Agabelus Rhoads p. 248
1903	Agabelus porcatus Rhoads p. 248
1904	Agabelus Trouessart p. 762
1904	Agabelus porcatus Trouessart p. 762
1928	Agabelus Kellogg
1930	Agabelus Hay p. 589
1930	Agabelus porcatus Hay p. 589
1943	Dasybatidae David p. 81
1945	Agabelus Simpson p. 103
1963	Dasyatidae Jordan p. 604
1964	Dasyatidae Estes p. 15
1966	Dasyatidae Cassier p. 91
1968	Dasyatidae Jonet p. 247
1970	Dasyatidae Estes and Berberian p. 3
1977	Dasyatidae Herman p. 277
1978	Dasyatidae Case p. 198
1981	Dasyatidae Case p. 68
1981	Dasyatidae Thurmond and Jones p. 73
1987	Dasyatidae Cappetta p. 163
1987	Dasyatidae Kumar and Loyal p. 67
1988	Agabelus Carroll
1993	Dasyatidae Cvancara and Hoganson p. 10
1997	Agabelus McKenna and Bell p. 372
2001	Dasyatidae Purdy et al. p. 90
2002	Agabelus Sepkoski
2005	Dasyatidae Tabuce et al. p. 387
2006	Dasyatidae Balbino and Antunes p. 748
2006	Dasyatidae Underwood p. 234
2009	Dasyatidae Cicimurri and Knight p. 637
2011	Dasyatidae Bogan and Gallina
2014	Dasyatidae Carnevale et al. p. 41
2016	Dasyatidae Nelson et al. p. 90
2018	Dasyatidae Kent p. 126
2019	Dasyatidae Ebersole et al. p. 112
2019	Dasyatidae van der Laan p. 45
2020	Dasyatidae Villafaña et al. p. 744
2021	Dasyatidae Rana et al. p. 12
2022	Dasyatidae Cicimurri et al.
2025	Dasyatidae Cicimurri et al. p. 54
2025	Dasyatidae Landau et al. p. 35
2025	Dasyatidae Maisch IV et al. p. 42

Is something missing? Join the Paleobiology Database and enter the data

Rank	Name	Author
kingdom	Animalia	()
—	Bilateria
—	Eubilateria	Ax 1987
—	Deuterostomia
phylum	Chordata	Haeckel 1874
subphylum	Vertebrata
superclass	Gnathostomata
class	Chondrichthyes

Rank	Name	Author
infraclass	Elasmobranchii	(Bonaparte 1838)
—	Euselachii	()
—	Neoselachii	Compagno 1977
superorder	Batomorphii
order	Myliobatiformes	Compagno 1973
suborder	Myliobatoidei	Compagno 1973
family	Dasyatidae	Jordan 1888
family	Dasyatidae	Jordan 1888

If no rank is listed, the taxon is considered an unranked clade in modern classifications. Ranks may be repeated or presented in the wrong order because authors working on different parts of the classification may disagree about how to rank taxa.

Fm. Dasyatidae Jordan 1888 [whiptail stingray]

show all | hide all

G. †Amphotistius Garman 1913

G. Anacanthus Cuvier 1829

Subfm. Dasyatinae Jordan and Gilbert 1879

G. Bathytoshia Whitley 1933

Bathytoshia centroura Mitchill 1814 [roughtail stingray]

G. Dasyatis Rafinesque 1810

†Dasyatis africana Dartevelle and Casier 1959

†Dasyatis borodini Case 1981

†Dasyatis branisai Cappetta 1975

†Dasyatis carolinensis Emmons 1858

†Dasyatis cavernosa Probst 1877

†Dasyatis charlisae Case 1981

†Dasyatis commercensis Case and Cappetta 1997

†Dasyatis concavifoveus Cvancara and Hoganson 1993

†Dasyatis datasi Noubhani and Cappetta 1997

†Dasyatis davisi Cassier 1966

†Dasyatis fallax Arambourg 1952

†Dasyatis gigas Gunther 1870

Dasyatis hastata De Kay 1842

†Dasyatis hexagonalis Arambourg 1952

†Dasyatis jaekeli Leriche 1906

†Dasyatis manuelcamposi Villafaña et al. 2025

†Dasyatis margaritella Compagno and Roberts 1984

†Dasyatis martini Noubhani and Cappetta 1997

†Dasyatis molassicus Probst 1877

†Dasyatis molinoensis Cappetta 1975

†Dasyatis newegyptensis Case et al. 2001

†Dasyatis northdakotaensis Hoganson et al. 2019

Dasyatis pastinaca Linnaeus 1758

Invalid names: Dasyatis ujo Rafinesque 1810 [synonym]

†Dasyatis ponsi Noubhani and Cappetta 1997

†Dasyatis probsti Cappetta 1970

†Dasyatis rafinesquei Kumar and Loyal 1987

†Dasyatis rugosa Probst 1877

†Dasyatis russelli Cappetta 1972

†Dasyatis schaefferi Cappetta 1975

†Dasyatis serralheiroi Cappetta 1970

†Dasyatis sessaoensis Cappetta 1972

†Dasyatis speetonensis Underwood et al. 1999

†Dasyatis strangulata Probst 1877

†Dasyatis sudrei Cappetta 1972

†Dasyatis tetraedra Arambourg 1952

†Dasyatis thierryi Smith 1999

†Dasyatis tricuspidatus Casier 1946

†Dasyatis vicaryi Loyal 1984

†Dasyatis wochadunensis Ward 1979

Invalid names: Alexandrinum Molin 1860 [synonym], Dasybatus Klein 1775 [replaced], Heliobatis [synonym], Trygon Cuvier 1817 [synonym]

G. Hemitrygon Müller and Henle 1837

G. Hypanus Rafinesque 1818

†Hypanus americana Hildebrand and Schroeder 1928

Hypanus dipterurus Jordan and Gilbert 1880 [diamond stingray]

†Hypanus heterodontus Cicimurri et al. 2025

Hypanus say Lesueur 1817

G. Pteroplatytrygon Fowler 1910

G. Taeniurops Garman 1913

Taeniurops grabata Saint-Hilaire 1817 [round stingray]

†Taeniurops tosii Adnet and Charpentier 2022

G. †Disceus Garman 1877

G. †Discobatis Miklukho-Maclay and Macleay 1886

G. †Discotrygon Fowler 1910

G. †Elipesurus Schomburgk 1842

G. †Glikmania Case et al. 1996

G. †Hemiptychodus Jaekel 1894

Subfm. Hypolophinae Leriche 1902

G. Pastinachus Rüppell 1828

†Pastinachus kebarensis Adnet et al. 2018

Invalid names: Hypolophus Muller and Henle 1837 [synonym]

Subfm. Neotrygoninae Last et al. 2016

G. †Mecotrygon Adnet et al. 2020

†Mecotrygon asperodentulus Adnet et al. 2020

G. Neotrygon Castelnau 1873

G. Taeniura Miller and Henle 1837

†Taeniura cavernosa Probst 1877

G. †Palaeodasyatis Halter 1989

†Palaeodasyatis hermani Halter 1989

G. †Paratrygon Dumeríl 1865

G. †Pastinaca Dekay 1842

Pastinaca hastata DeKay 1842

G. †Rhachinotus Cantor 1849

G. †Sporetodus Cope 1874

†Sporetodus janevaii Cope 1874

G. †Tethytrygon Marramà et al. 2018

†Tethytrygon muricatus Volta 1796

Invalid names: Dasyatis zigni Molin 1861 [synonym]

G. †Trygonobatus

Subfm. Urogymninae Gray 1851

G. Himantura Müller and Henle 1837

†Himantura souarfortuna Adnet et al. 2020

G. †Protohimantura Marramà et al. 2018

G. Urogymnus Muller and Henle 1837

G. †Uroxis Rafinesque 1810

G. †Viperecucullus Case 1996

Invalid names: Agabelus Cope 1875 [nomen dubium], Dasyatis dezignoi Molin 1861 [invalid subgroup]

Diagnosis

No diagnoses are available

Measurements

No measurements are available

Composition:

phosphaticsubp

Environment:

marinesubp

Locomotion:

actively mobileo

Life habit:

nektobenthico

Diet:

carnivoreo

Created:

2009-07-21 07:05:51

Modified:

2009-07-21 09:05:51

Source: o = order, subp = subphylum

References: Hendy et al. 2009, Carroll 1988, Wagner 2023

Age range

Maximum range based only on fossils: base of the Late/Upper Oxfordian to the top of the Holocene or 157.90000 to 0.00000 Ma
Minimum age of oldest fossil (stem group age): 154.8 Ma

Collections (346 total)

Time interval	Ma	Country or state	Original ID and collection number
Oldest occurrences
Late/Upper Oxfordian	157.9 - 154.8	France (Basse-Normandie)	Dasyatidae indet. (74916)
Cretaceous	143.1 - 66.0	New Zealand (South Island)	Trygon sp. (204190)
Late/Upper Hauterivian	132.6 - 125.77	United Kingdom (England)	Dasyatis speetonensis (66420)
Early/Lower Cenomanian	100.5 - 93.9	France	Dasyatis sp. (242279)
Santonian	85.7 - 83.6	USA (Alabama)	Hypolophus sp. (3587)
Early/Lower Campanian - Middle Campanian	83.6 - 72.2	USA (North Carolina)	Dasyatidae indet., Hypolophus sp. (57918)
Judithian	83.6 - 72.2	USA (Texas)	Dasyatidae indet. (14489)
Middle Campanian	83.6 - 72.2	USA (North Carolina)	Dasyatis sp., Dasyatis commercensis (128412)
Middle Campanian - Late/Upper Campanian	83.6 - 72.2	USA (Texas)	Dasyatidae indet. (68001 68002 68003 68004 68005)
Early/Lower Maastrichtian	72.2 - 66.0	Jordan	Dasyatidae indet. (65222)
Late/Upper Maastrichtian	72.2 - 66.0	USA (North Dakota)	Dasyatis northdakotaensis (213580)
Late/Upper Maastrichtian	72.2 - 66.0	Bolivia (Cochabamba)	Dasyatis branisai, Dasyatis molinoensis, Dasyatis schaefferi (12855)
Late/Upper Maastrichtian	72.2 - 66.0	India (Andhra Pradesh)	Dasyatis sp. (122240)
Late/Upper Maastrichtian	72.2 - 66.0	USA (New Jersey)	Dasyatis newegyptensis (61807)
Late/Upper Maastrichtian	72.2 - 66.0	USA (North Carolina)	Dasyatis commercensis (241417)
Late/Upper Maastrichtian	72.2 - 66.0	India (Maharashtra)	Dasyatis sp. (58102)
Late/Upper Maastrichtian	72.2 - 66.0	USA (Arkansas)	Dasyatis sp. (242204)
Late/Upper Maastrichtian	72.2 - 66.0	Morocco	Dasyatis martini (214368) Dasyatis sp. (99627)
Late/Upper Maastrichtian	72.2 - 66.0	USA (Wyoming)	Dasyatidae indet. (22638)
Late/Upper Maastrichtian	72.2 - 66.0	USA (Texas)	Dasyatis commercensis (61738)