Marbled Torpedo Ray: Torpedo marmorata

Family: Torpedinidae

Common name(s)

Marbled Torpedo Ray, Marbled Electric Ray, Spotted Torpedo Ray.

Identification

A medium-large torpedo ray with a broad sub-circular disc. Snout short, tip straight across, sometimes with a bulbous central lobe. Pectoral fin apices broadly rounded. Eyes small and spiracles smaller and well separated. Spiracles circular with 6-9 thin papillae pointing towards centre. Mouth arched. Nostrils with well defined nasal flaps.
Pelvic fins long, margins broadly rounded. Tail short and broad based. Dorsal fins tall with broadly rounded apices and posterior margins. First dorsal posterior margin over pelvic fin. Caudal fin large, sub-triangular or oval, apices broadly to narrowly rounded, posterior margin convex.

Colour

Dorsum greyish brown to dark brown, with a dense pattern of pale blotches and vermiculations that form an irregular marbled appearance. Ventrum white.

Size

Maximum length 100cm but usually ~60cm. Size at birth 10-14cm.

Habitat

Temperate to tropical seas. Benthic on soft bottoms, seagrass beds, and rocky reefs. Found close inshore and on continental shelf and upper slope. From 10-370m.

Distribution

Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean. The marbled torpedo ray occurs from southern Scandinavia to South Africa including the Mediterranean Sea.

Conservation Status

DATA DEFICIENT

The marbled torpedo ray is taken as bycatch in demersal trawl fisheries, coastal trammel nets and bottom longlines. It is not commercially fished and is often discarded at sea due to its low commercial value (Minervini et al. 1985). Little information is available on catches of this species as a result of discarding at sea and aggregation of landings data. Fishing pressure from demersal trawl fisheries is relatively intensive on the continental shelf off western Africa.

Citation

Notarbartolo di Sciara, G., Serena, F.,Ungaro, N., Ferretti, F., Pheeha, S. & Human, B. 2009. Torpedo marmorata. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2009: e.T161328A5398909. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2009-2.RLTS.T161328A5398909.en. Downloaded on 04 June 2021.

Reproduction

Aplacental viviparous. Litter size 2-32 pups. Gestation ~10 months.

Diet

Diet consists of small benthic fishes and invertebrates.

Behavior

Nocturnal; remains buried under sand during the day.

Marbled torpedo rays can produce electric discharges of up to 200 volts. Even newborns can use their electric organs to incapacitate prey.

Reaction to divers

Easy to approach. Rarely swims away but may try to shock divers when threatened.

Diving logistics

Marbled torpedo rays are encountered at numerous spots throughout their range. They are often seen at dive sites in the Channel Islands (UK), around the Mediterranean, and perhaps most frequently at the Canary Islands off northwest Africa.

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Marbled Torpedo Ray, Torpedo marmorata, in back arching defensive posture or threat display ready to shock. Aka Marbled Electric Ray. El Cabron Marine Park, Arinaga, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain, eastern Atlantic Ocean.