Description:
Atlantic stingrays grow to approximately 2 feet in diameter across the disc.  They have elongate tails with a venomous spine set near the base.  Body color ranges from yellowish to dark brown dorsally, though pectoral fin edges tend to be paler.  Ventral color is white.  A mid-dorsal ridge of low spines is present, with only a few near the shoulder area and in the tail posterior to the pelvic fins.  Both ventral and dorsal cutaneous folds present on the tail.  The snout is triangular in shape, coming to a sharp point.  The pectoral fins are expanded and rounded.  No caudal fin is present.  This species is considered dangerous due to the barbed spine present in the tail.  The spine is envenomed and capable of inflicting painful wounds. 

Habitat:
Atlantic stingrays are common in sandy and muddy bottoms of estuaries, bays and shallow coastal waters to depths of 60 feet.  They are also known to enter river systems, including the St. Johns River in central Florida where a breeding population has become established.  Atlantic stingrays are perhaps the most common rays in the IRL.

Similar Species:
Atlantic stingrays closely resemble southern stingrays, Dasyatis americana.  The two are distinguished due to the southern stingray's much larger size (to 6 feet across the disc), and the shape of the snout and pectoral fins.  In the southern stingray, the pectoral fins come to rounded corners, with the snout being nearly flat.  Atlantic stingrays have rounded pectoral fins and a triangular snout. 

Range:
Atlantic stingrays range from Chesapeake Bay south through the Florida and the Gulf of Mexico.  There are scattered occurrence reports from South America, but these are in doubt.