Patchwork stingaree

The patchwork stingaree (Urolophus flavomosaicus) is a little-known species of stingray in the family Urolophidae, with a disjunct distribution off northwestern and northeastern Australia.

Its dorsal colour pattern resembles a mosaic of dark brown rings with light-coloured centers, separated by fine reticulated lines.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed the patchwork stingaree under Least Concern, as it is subject to minimal fishing pressure.

Peter Last and Martin Gomon described the patchwork stingaree in a 1987 issue of Memoirs of the National Museum of Victoria, giving it the specific epithet flavomosaicus from the Latin flavus ("yellow") and mosaicus ("mosaic") in reference to its colouration.

A male 33 cm (13 in) across, collected north of Port Hedland, Western Australia on 21 April 1982, by the research trawler FRV Soela, was designated as the type specimen.

It has a diamond-shaped pectoral fin disc much wider than long, with broadly rounded outer corners and nearly straight anterior margins that converge at an obtuse angle.

The dorsal colouration of this species is distinctive, consisting of a yellowish background with numerous large, dark brown rings surrounding light-coloured spots, that may be separated from each other by a network of fine pale lines (particularly at the center of the disc) to give the impression of a mosaic.