title: Redescription of Aetobatus flagellum (Bloch & Schneider, 1801), an endangered eagle ray (Myliobatoidea: Myliobatidae) from the Indo-West Pacific.
abstract: The eagle ray Aetobatus flagellum (Bloch & Schneider, 1801) is redescribed based on new material from the Persian Gulf (Kuwait), Indonesia and Malaysia. A related but distinct species of Aetobatus from the western North Pacific, previously referred to as A. flagellum, is reported. Aetobatus flagellum is a medium-sized eagle ray which attains about 900 mm DW; males mature at approximately 500 mm DW. Aetobatus flagellum appears to be uncommon and restricted to estuary-influenced waters of the Indo-West Pacific. It is caught as gillnet bycatch where its habit of schooling, combined with probable small litter size, may make it particularly vulnerable to impacts from fisheries.
authors.forename: William T
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: White
authors.forename: Alec B M
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Moore
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003710:Demography; D056727:Endangered Species; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D010140:Pacific Ocean; D012860:Skates, Fish / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000145:classification*; D013045:Species Specificity