Yantai stingray

The Yantai stingray, Dasyatis laevigata (often misspelled laevigatus), is a little-known species of stingray in the family Dasyatidae, inhabiting shallow waters in the northwestern Pacific Ocean off the coasts of China and Japan. Measuring no more than 20–30 cm (7.9–11.8 in) across, this species is characterized by its diamond-shaped pectoral fin disc wider than long, completely smooth skin, dorsal coloration of dark irregular spots on a yellowish gray-brown background, and ventral coloration of more spots on a white background with yellowish margins. One of the three most common stingrays sold for food in China, the slow-reproducing Yantai stingray faces possible overfishing and habitat degradation, and its numbers appear to be declining. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has assessed it as Near Threatened.