Hypanus dipterurus
Large sand-bottom ray, near rocks and algae, of the eastern Pacific. Vulnerable worldwide and with a dangerous stinger: release it without handling it.
Also called: raia-diamante, diamond stingray, raya látigo diamante, raya diamante, batana
The diamond stingray is a stingray of the eastern Pacific, up to 167 cm of disc width. It lives on the bottom in sandy areas, often around rocks and kelp beds, from 10 to 355 m. It eats crabs, mollusks and worms. It is ovoviviparous, with 1 to 4 pups per gestation and a gestation of about three months, according to FishBase. FishBase lists it as a sport fish, and its tail stinger is dangerous. IUCN classifies it as Vulnerable. It does not occur in Brazil.
Rhombus-shaped disc ray (hence the name), plain in color, brown or greyish above and pale below. The tail is long and thin, with a serrated stinger and a fold of skin underneath. Measurements on this card are in disc width. In the eastern Pacific there are also other stingrays of the genus Hypanus and the pelagic stingray (Pteroplatytrygon violacea), which is purple and lives in open sea.
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Each card shows the day's index (0 to 100) and, below it, a strip with the index for each hour, from 0h to 23h. from poor to excellent.
Eastern Pacific: from southern California (USA) to Peru, with records from the Galápagos Islands. Its presence in British Columbia (Canada) is doubtful. FishBase lists Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru and El Salvador. It does not occur in Brazil.
Habitat: Sand bottoms, often around rocks and kelp beds, from 10 to 355 m.
Estimate: present year-round, no known fishing season.
Night and twilight. No fixed time in the sources we checked (estimate): it lives buried or still on the bottom and looks for food at dusk and at night.
Cold upwelling water keeps the ray out of shallow areas.
Little known direct effect.
Little known effect.
Little effect on the bottom.
Not applicable at sea.
Not very sensitive to surface noise.
Little effect, except for surf that muddies the shallow bottom.
The tidal current carries the bait's scent to the bottom and helps attract it.
From 10 to 355 m, usually on sand bottoms near rocks.
natural baits
accessories
It clamps onto the bottom and is very heavy: keep steady pressure. Never bring it into the boat or hold it by the tail.
Summary of the regulations we found, with the source for each. Rules change; before keeping or transporting fish, check with the state environmental agency.
Conservation: IUCN global assessment: VU (A2d, Feb 8, 2019). It does not occur in Brazil according to FishBase's country list; Brazilian rules apply if it is hooked in Brazilian waters.
In Brazil, finning is banned: catching sharks and rays and keeping only the fins, discarding the body (art. 3). Sharks and rays landed must arrive with all fins naturally attached to the body; carrying an animal aboard without fins or with loose fins, and transferring sharks and rays between fishing vessels, is prohibited. This applies to any species that may be retained.
NOM-017-PESC-1994 gives its own bag limit only to billfish, sharks, and giant croaker (1 fish per day). Rays are not listed separately in the text we checked: the general limit of ten marine fish per angler per day applies, with no more than five of the same species (item 4.9.1 a). Anything over that must be returned alive to the water (item 4.9.5), and recreational catch may not be sold (item 4.11).
In 2021 Colombia stopped treating marine sharks and rays as fishery resources and began treating them as hydrobiological resources. The recitals of Decree 281/2021 state that they may not be extracted for commercial or sport purposes, and the decree created an environmental protection plan. Later AUNAP rules addressed incidental catch in artisanal fishing; we did not check the consolidated text. When in doubt, release them into the water.
Executive Decree 9/2026 (art. 19) bans, throughout the national territory and in sport, recreational, or tourism fishing, the catch, retention, handling for recreational purposes, use, and landing of sharks and rays (subclass Elasmobranchii). If one is hooked by accident, it must be released immediately, without taking it fully out of the water and without unnecessary handling. It is also prohibited to promote them as targets in tournaments (art. 19) and to sell the catch (art. 20). The decree takes effect six months after its promulgation on June 10, 2026 (art. 40), around Dec 10, 2026, and repeals Resuelto ADM/ARAP 002/2012 (art. 39). Confirm the date with ARAP.
The tail sting is serrated and venomous: the sting causes intense pain and a deep cut, and it can leave fragments in the wound. If stung, wash the area, immerse it in very hot water (not hot enough to burn), and seek medical care. Keep the stingray in the water, away from the tail; remove the hook with long-nose pliers or cut the line close to the mouth.
FishBase lists it only as a sport fish. It is Vulnerable worldwide: prefer to release it.
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.00447, b = 3.12; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
estimated weight
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The season factors (months), the time of day, and the sensitivities (cold, pressure, moon, wind, rain, tide, strong light, murky water, and noise) are editorial estimates by the app, based on the literature cited below and on field experience of anglers and guides. They are not official data or measurements made for this species and may vary by region and year. Closed seasons and legal rules appear in the rules section, with the standard and link. The months indicate when anglers usually find the species near the coast, not a catch season.
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