Pastinachus is a genus of stingrays in the family Dasyatidae. This genus was long held to be monotypic, containing only the cowtail stingray (P. sephen). Recent studies of Indo-Pacific stingrays have revealed that there are in fact a number of different species of Pastinachus, and that some former junior synonyms may need to be resurrected.[1]
Combining the molecular genetic relationship analysis of the NADH2 DNA, which was used to assign Pastinachus stellurostris,[2] and the analysis of the COI gene, which was used to evaluate P. gracilicaudus accordingly,[3] results in approximately the following cladogram for the genus:
Pastinachus is a genus of stingrays in the family Dasyatidae. This genus was long held to be monotypic, containing only the cowtail stingray (P. sephen). Recent studies of Indo-Pacific stingrays have revealed that there are in fact a number of different species of Pastinachus, and that some former junior synonyms may need to be resurrected.
