[2] The fish was named in honor of Donald Jacob Baron Mackay (1839-1921), the then colonial administrator and governor in India; he was one of the promoters of the 1904-1905 expedition that collected the type specimen in the Dutch West Indies.

[6] Torpedo mackayana has a round, "fleshy" disc, which has a slightly greater width than length.

[3] Its growth and size was surveyed in the Coast of Senegal from 1994 to 1998, with the results having been published in 2001.

[5] Torpedo mackayana has a coastal habitat and lives in depths of 30–50 metres (98–164 ft).

[3] Torpedo mackayana lives in tropical waters of the eastern Atlantic Ocean,[7] in 16 countries on the western coast of Africa.

Pollution and habitat destruction, due to coastal development, are also threats in part of its range.

According to the IUCN, further research is required of the species' population before planning conservation actions.