V. N. Dolganov - The Pacific electric ray Torpedo (Tetronarce) californica Ayres, 1855, the first of the order Torpediniformes in the waters of Russia, with comments on its range formation

BIOLOGIYA MORYA, 2015, Vol. 41, No. 4, pp. 264-268

The Pacific electric ray Torpedo (Tetronarce) californica Ayres, 1855, the first of the order Torpediniformes in the waters of Russia, with comments on its range formation

A.V. Zhirmunsky Institute of Marine Biology, Far East Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Vladivostok 690041;
Primorsky Aquarium, Far East Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Vladivostok 690041

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A description of nine specimens of the Pacific electric ray Torpedo (Tetronarce) californica Ayres, 1855, caught at the South Kuril Islands, on the North-West underwater ridge and off the coast of North America is given. The range of this species off the coast of Asia is considered. A hypothesis of T. californica range formation based on data on geological and climatic history of the Earth is suggested.

Key words: ray Torpedo californica, morphometric description, distribution, North Pacific, historical biogeography, migration, Miocene, range formation.