Quick answer
IUCN status: ExtinctJava stingaree at a glance
The Java stingaree (Urolophus javanicus) is a marine animal in the family Urolophidae. Range in Indonesia: Waters near Jakarta, north coast of Java (known only from one 1862 specimen). It is endemic to Indonesia, living naturally only in Java (known only from a single 1862 specimen from Jakarta; now declared extinct). Diet: never recorded. IUCN Red List status: Extinct.
| Scientific name | Urolophus javanicus |
|---|---|
| Indonesian name | Pari jawa |
| Group | Marine |
| Family | Urolophidae |
| Range in Indonesia | Waters near Jakarta, north coast of Java (known only from one 1862 specimen) |
| Diet | Never recorded |
| Range in Indonesia | Known only from a Jakarta fish market |
| Key feature | Dinner-plate-sized ray with a short tail |
| Last record | July 1862, a single female |
| IUCN status | Extinct (announced December 2023) |
| Other names | Pari jawa, ikan pari jawa |
| IUCN status | Extinct · IUCN Red List (via GBIF) · checked 1 October 2026 |
| Reproduction | Ovoviviparity: eggs hatch inside the mother and live young are born · Animal Diversity Web |
| Endemic to Indonesia | Yes — Java (known only from a single 1862 specimen from Jakarta; now declared extinct) · FishBase |
In this guide (11)
What was the Java stingaree?
The Java stingaree (Urolophus javanicus) is a small ray of the family Urolophidae, known only from one dead fish bought at a Jakarta fish market in 1862. FishBase records that Martens described the species in 1864. The specimen is a female about the size of a dinner plate, but researchers do not know whether it was a juvenile or an adult.
Stingarees resemble true stingrays (Dasyatidae) but have shorter, non-whip-like tails ending in a fairly large tail fin. According to Animal Diversity Web (ADW), the tail carries one or more serrated stinging spines. Researcher Benaya Simeon notes that no similar ray species lives in Javan waters.
Evidence: FishBase — Urolophus javanicus, Java stingaree ↗ · Mongabay (2023) — Farewell, Java stingaree: Scientists declare the first marine fish extinction ↗ · Animal Diversity Web — Urolophidae (round rays, stingarees) ↗
Where did the Java stingaree live?
The Java stingaree is thought to have lived in coastal waters near Jakarta, especially Jakarta Bay, but its true range was never known. Charles Darwin University researchers assume it was caught within about 40 km of Jakarta, because fishers of that era did not travel far.
FishBase classes it as a marine, bottom-dwelling fish. According to ADW, its relatives in the family Urolophidae live on the bottom of coastal waters and continental shelves, mostly on sand, and some enter estuaries. Julia Constance, the lead assessor, told Mongabay Indonesia that it may also once have occurred elsewhere in the Java Sea.
Evidence: Mongabay (2023) — Farewell, Java stingaree: Scientists declare the first marine fish extinction ↗ · Mongabay Indonesia (2023) — Pari Jawa, Biota Laut Pertama yang Dinyatakan Punah ↗ · Animal Diversity Web — Urolophidae (round rays, stingarees) ↗
What did the Java stingaree eat?
The Java stingaree's diet was never recorded, because no living animal was ever observed. FishBase simply lists it as a rare species whose biology is unknown.
The best clues come from its relatives. According to ADW, stingarees eat a variety of bottom-living invertebrates, small fishes and crustaceans. They also give birth to live young, usually two to four a year. Embryos develop in the uterus, fed on a nutrient-rich 'uterine milk' from the mother. Whether the Java stingaree did the same is an inference from its relatives, not a direct observation.
Evidence: FishBase — Urolophus javanicus, Java stingaree ↗ · Animal Diversity Web — Urolophidae (round rays, stingarees) ↗
Why is the Java stingaree known from only one specimen?
The Java stingaree is known from one specimen because nobody has found another since 1862. In July 1862, German naturalist Eduard von Martens, travelling with an expedition to East Asia, bought the dead fish at a Jakarta market and preserved it.
According to Mongabay, the ray may already have been very rare by then. BRIN researcher Fahmi says ray surveys in Indonesia began in the early 2000s and were intensive in 2017–2020, including interviews with crab and bottom-fish fishers. None had ever seen it. Monitoring of fish landing sites along Java's north coast since 2001 has found no further specimens.
Evidence: Mongabay (2023) — Farewell, Java stingaree: Scientists declare the first marine fish extinction ↗ · Mongabay Indonesia (2023) — Pari Jawa, Biota Laut Pertama yang Dinyatakan Punah ↗ · Oceanographic Magazine (2023) — First marine fish declared extinct due to human activity ↗
Why was the Java stingaree declared extinct?
The IUCN declared the Java stingaree extinct in December 2023 because it has not been recorded since 1862 despite intensive surveys, while its habitat was heavily degraded. FishBase gives the assessment date as 31 March 2023. The Charles Darwin University team used an IUCN model that combines threats, records and survey effort.
According to Julia Constance, intensive and largely unregulated fishing was the main threat, and catches in the Java Sea were already falling by the 1870s. Jakarta Bay has also suffered heavy industrialisation, eutrophication, sedimentation and heavy-metal pollution. The Java stingaree is described as the first marine fish driven extinct by human activity.
Evidence: Oceanographic Magazine (2023) — First marine fish declared extinct due to human activity ↗ · Mongabay Indonesia (2024) — Daftar Spesies Punah IUCN Sepanjang 2023 ↗ · FishBase — Urolophus javanicus, Java stingaree ↗
What does the Java stingaree's extinction teach us?
The Java stingaree's extinction is a warning that marine fish can disappear too when overfishing and coastal damage go unchecked. Researcher Peter Kyne notes that more than 120 marine fish species worldwide are Critically Endangered.
Kyne says the answer is to protect habitat and reduce overfishing while securing fishers' livelihoods. Julia Constance hopes the case will draw attention to other rarely recorded species, such as the lost shark (Carcharhinus obsoletus), listed as Critically Endangered and possibly extinct. People can help by following fisheries rules, not buying products from protected sharks and rays, and supporting efforts to keep coastal ecosystems healthy.
Evidence: Oceanographic Magazine (2023) — First marine fish declared extinct due to human activity ↗ · Mongabay Indonesia (2023) — Pari Jawa, Biota Laut Pertama yang Dinyatakan Punah ↗
Scientific classification of the Java stingaree
| Kingdom | Animalia |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Chondrichthyes |
| Order | Myliobatiformes |
| Family | Urolophidae |
| Genus | Urolophus |
| Species | Urolophus javanicus |
Source: GBIF Backbone Taxonomy, adjusted to the ranks commonly used in school biology (for example class Reptilia).
Common questions about the Java stingaree
What is the scientific name of the Java stingaree?
The scientific name of the Java stingaree is Urolophus javanicus, in the family Urolophidae. In Indonesian it is called Pari jawa.
What kind of animal is the Java stingaree?
The Java stingaree is a marine animal in the family Urolophidae. It is also endemic to Indonesia.
Where does the Java stingaree live in Indonesia?
In Indonesia, this guide records the Java stingaree in: Waters near Jakarta, north coast of Java (known only from one 1862 specimen).
The Java stingaree is endemic to Indonesia and lives naturally only in Java (known only from a single 1862 specimen from Jakarta; now declared extinct). Source: FishBase.
What does the Java stingaree eat?
Diet of the Java stingaree: never recorded.
How does the Java stingaree reproduce?
The Java stingaree reproduces by ovoviviparity: eggs hatch inside the mother and live young are born. Known from a single specimen, so there are no breeding data for the species itself; it is classed by its family (Urolophidae). In these rays the eggs develop and hatch inside the uterus, the embryos are fed a milk-like fluid from the uterine wall, and the mother gives birth to 2–4 young. Scientists call this aplacental viviparity; Indonesian school textbooks class it as ovovivipar. Source: Animal Diversity Web.
What are the main features of the Java stingaree?
Key features of the Java stingaree, from this guide’s sources: Key feature: dinner-plate-sized ray with a short tail.
What is the scientific classification of the Java stingaree?
Scientific classification of the Java stingaree: kingdom Animalia, phylum Chordata, class Chondrichthyes, order Myliobatiformes, family Urolophidae, genus Urolophus, species Urolophus javanicus.
Source: GBIF Backbone Taxonomy, adjusted to the ranks commonly used in school biology.
Is the Java stingaree endangered?
On the IUCN Red List, the Java stingaree is listed as Extinct: there is no reasonable doubt that the last individual has died. Source: IUCN Red List (via GBIF), checked 1 October 2026.
This global category is separate from legal protection in Indonesia. To check whether the Java stingaree is a protected species, consult the current national list of protected species or contact the local BKSDA (natural resources conservation office).
Sources & references
- FishBase — Urolophus javanicus, Java stingaree ↗
- Mongabay (2023) — Farewell, Java stingaree: Scientists declare the first marine fish extinction ↗
- Mongabay Indonesia (2023) — Pari Jawa, Biota Laut Pertama yang Dinyatakan Punah ↗
- Mongabay Indonesia (2024) — Daftar Spesies Punah IUCN Sepanjang 2023 ↗
- Oceanographic Magazine (2023) — First marine fish declared extinct due to human activity ↗
- Animal Diversity Web — Urolophidae (round rays, stingarees) ↗
- GBIF Backbone Taxonomy (GBIF) ↗
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, version 2026-1, via GBIF (CC BY 4.0) ↗
References can change. Check dates and context in the original source.
Cite this page
PanduanHewan. (2026, 1 October). Java stingaree (Urolophus javanicus). PanduanHewan.org. https://panduanhewan.org/en/species/java-stingaree/