Brazilian large-eyed stingray

The Brazilian large-eyed stingray, Hypanus marianae, is a small stingray of the family Dasyatidae that is found only along the coast of northeastern Brazil, from Maranhao state south to southern Bahia. Adults live at depths of roughly 2 to 15 metres, closely tied to coral and sandstone reefs on the continental shelf and sometimes seen around shipwrecks, while the young also use nearshore sandy flats and estuaries. The ray reaches about 40 centimetres across the disc and is recognised by its large eyes, dorsal and ventral tail fin folds of similar length, and a golden brown back marked with dark brown blotches above a white underside with two pairs of dark kidney-shaped blotches. It was described in 2000 and named for Mariana Gadig, the daughter of one of its describers. Reproduction is aplacental viviparous: a female carries one embryo at a time, gestates for five to six months and can bear two litters a year, using shallow coastal sandbanks as nurseries. It is taken in small numbers by artisanal fisheries and collected for the aquarium trade, and the IUCN lists it as endangered.