Narke japonica (Temminck & Schlegel, 1850)
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Japanese sleeper ray (Narke japonica) is a species of electric ray in the family Narkidae. It is common in the inshore and offshore waters of the northwestern Pacific Ocean from southern Japan to southern China. Growing up to 40 cm (16 in) long, the Japanese sleeper ray has a nearly circular pectoral fin disc colored reddish to chocolate brown above, sometimes with darker or lighter spots, and lighter brown below. The spiracles behind its small eyes have raised, smooth rims. Its short and muscular tail bears a single dorsal fin positioned aft of the rounded pelvic fins, and terminates in a large caudal fin. Inhabiting shallow, sandy areas near rocky reefs, the Japanese sleeper ray is a bottom-dwelling predator of invertebrates. Like other members of its family, it can produce a strong electric shock from its electric organs for defensive purposes. Females give live birth to litters of up to five pups. The gestating young are sustained at first by yolk, and later by histotroph ("uterine milk").
Wikipedia contributors, Japanese sleeper ray; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T23:17:06.524126+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Narke japonica (Temminck & Schlegel, 1850)
- Name authority
- (Temminck & Schlegel, 1850)
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Elasmobranchii
- Order
- Torpediniformes
- Family
- Narkidae
- Genus
- Narke
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: yes · Freshwater: no · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumChondrichthyes
- classElasmobranchii
- subclassNeoselachii
- infraclassBatoidea
- orderTorpediniformes
- familyNarkidae Fowler, 1934
- genusNarke Kaup, 1826
- speciesNarke japonica (Temminck & Schlegel, 1850)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Narke. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Narke capensis (Gmelin, 1789) | NarkidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Narke dipterygia (Bloch & Schneider, 1801) | NarkidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Torpedo japonica Temminck & Schlegel, 1850 Temminck & Schlegel, 1850 | synonym |
| Crassinarke domitor Takagi, 1951 Takagi, 1951 | synonym |
| Crassinarke dormitor Takagi, 1951 Takagi, 1951 | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=278822 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:45PVP. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.