Urolophus
Urolophus is a genus of round rays mostly native to the western Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean, though one species occurs in the Pacific waters of the Mexican coast. Müller and Henle erected Urolophus in an 1837 issue of Bericht Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin. The name is derived from the Greek oura, meaning "tail", and lophos, meaning "crest". In Urolophus, the outer rims of the nostrils are not enlarged into lobes, but may form a small knob at the back.
A fossil species, Urolophus crassicaudatus, has been found in Monte Bolca, northern Italy, in deposits dating back to the late Ypresian stage of the Eocene epoch ; however, Marramà et al. transferred this species to the genus Arechia.
Species
There are currently 21 recognized species in this genus:Urolophus aurantiacus J. P. Müller & Henle, 1841 Urolophus bicuneatus Noetling, 1885Urolophus bucculentus W. J. Macleay, 1884 Urolophus circularis R. J. McKay, 1966 Urolophus cruciatus Bernard [Germain de Lacépède|Lacepède], 1804 Urolophus deforgesi Séret & Peter [Robert Last|Last], 2003 Urolophus expansus McCulloch, 1916 Urolophus flavomosaicus Last & M. F. Gomon, 1987 Urolophus gigas T. D. Scott, 1954 †Urolophus javanicus Eduard [von Martens|E. von Martens], 1864 Urolophus kaianus Günther, 1880 Urolophus kapalensis Yearsley & Last, 2006 Urolophus lobatus R. J. McKay, 1966 Urolophus mitosis Last & M. F. Gomon, 1987 Urolophus neocaledoniensis Séret & Last, 2003 Urolophus orarius Last & M. F. Gomon, 1987 Urolophus papilio Séret & Last, 2003 Urolophus paucimaculatus J. M. Dixon, 1969 Urolophus piperatus Séret & Last, 2003 Urolophus sufflavus Whitley, 1929 Urolophus viridis McCulloch, 1916 Urolophus westraliensis Last & M. F. Gomon, 1987