Species profile
Haller's Round Ray
Urobatis halleri
At a glance
Haller's Round Ray (Urobatis halleri) is an IUCN Least Concern shark or ray present across the CatchRules coverage area but without species-specific bag, size, or season rules tracked in our regulatory dataset.
Confirmed by 2,643 research-grade iNaturalist observations, concentrated in California.
Notable details
- It causes more stingray injuries on Southern California beaches than any other species.
- Its disc width typically reaches about 12 inches (30 cm).
- It buries itself in shallow sandy bottoms, making it easy to accidentally step on.
- It detects prey buried in sand using electroreceptors called ampullae of Lorenzini.
- Found from central California south to Panama in shallow coastal waters.
Where Haller's Round Ray are seen
Background
The round stingray or Haller's round ray and Little round stingray is a species of round ray, family Urotrygonidae, found in the coastal waters of the tropical and subtropical parts of the northeastern Pacific Ocean. It is a small, common ray that feeds mostly on benthic invertebrates. On the beaches of southern California, it is responsible for numerous injuries to bathers, who are stung when…
Background excerpt adapted from Wikipedia's Haller's Round Ray article (CC BY-SA). Visit Wikipedia for the full entry.
Other sharks & rays on CatchRules
Photo credit: iNaturalist / Wikipedia. Identification reference only — verify regulations with the issuing wildlife agency before retaining a catch.