Pukyong National University Reveals Taxonomic Identity of Myliobatiformes Fish Belonging to Different Genera

Park Mingyun Presents Korea's First Morphological and DNA Analysis of Myliobatiformes
Receives Outstanding Oral Presentation Award at Korean Society of Fisheries Science Conference

Park Mingyun, a first-year master's student at the Department of Marine Biology, Graduate School, Pukyong National University, has attracted attention by presenting the first domestic analysis of the morphology and DNA of Myliobatiformes fish, organizing their classification system.

From the left (DW: Choi Banpok) Yellow stingray (36.9cm); Migratory brown stingray (39.6cm); Brown stingray (40.6cm); Longnose stingray (45.0cm); Purple stingray (68.0cm); Black stingray (37.3cm); Falcon stingray (29.0cm); Rat stingray (158.3cm); White stingray (18.5cm); Butterfly stingray (65.5cm)

Park Mingyun presented these research findings at the Korean Society of Fisheries Science conference held recently at Phoenix Island in Jeju, and received the Outstanding Oral Presentation Award in the field of Marine Resources and Environment.

Myliobatiformes fish, including the rat stingray, are large species ranging from 1 to 9 meters in size. Because only a very limited number of specimens have been collected domestically, it has been difficult to determine their taxonomic identity.

To address this, Park conducted a taxonomic re-examination of the genera by performing DNA analysis and detailed morphological analysis of actual specimens for 10 species belonging to 7 genera in 4 families of Myliobatiformes fish preserved at domestic universities, museums, and research institutes.

The research confirmed that the genus Dasyatis, previously reported in Korea, is divided into several lineages. Accordingly, Park reassigned the yellow stingray, black stingray, and longnose stingray, which had belonged to the genus Dasyatis, to the genera Hemitrygon, Bathytoshia, and Telatrygon, respectively.

In addition, he provided detailed morphological information for a brown stingray specimen collected from the West Sea, which had been regarded as a questionable species on the global fish portal site 'FishBase,' thereby providing concrete grounds for the establishment of an official Korean standard name.

Kim Jingu, Park's academic advisor at Pukyong National University, stated, "This study is the first case in Korea of re-examining the classification system of Myliobatiformes fish, which had not received much attention domestically, in accordance with the latest research trends. We expect it will serve as a meaningful turning point for future taxonomic research on marine fish in Korea."

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