The genus Hypanus formerly was a junior synonym of Dasyatis and it was resurrected by Last et al. (2016) in their revision of the family Dasyatidae. Petean et al. (2020) revised Hypanus americanus, separating the newly described species, H. berthalutzae, whose distribution includes the Brazilian coastline from the mouth of the Amazon River to São Paulo State.

The Southern Stingray (Hypanus americanus) is a medium-sized (to 150 cm disc width) coastal stingray that occurs in the Northwest and Western Central Atlantic Oceans from New Jersey, USA to Amapá, Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea. It inhabits estuaries and sand flats near seagrasses and coral reefs from the surface down to a depth of 100 m. This species has considerable value through ecotourism interactions with tourists in some Caribbean Islands which may have negative consequences on individual rays. This species is targeted and captured as bycatch in artisanal trammel nets, gillnets, beach seines, and longlines, and in commercial trawl and longline fisheries. Although it is generally discarded alive with suspected high survivorship in US waters. It is caught as bycatch in the western Atlantic and is utilised, and even targeted, in artisanal fisheries across part of the southern portion of its range. In the Northwest Atlantic, the relative abundance time series based on Baited Remote Underwater Videos from 2009 to 2018 off Belize indicated that abundance increased over the time series at a rate of 9.6% per year. Landings data from Mexico from 2000 to 2014 suggests a general stable population (annual rate of change +0.5%). However, a trawl survey indicated a slight decline of 4.1% over one generation length (11 years). When all data sets are considered in the global analysis, the population was declining slightly (-0.1% per year). In Colombia, the Southern Stingray was nationally assessed as Near Threatened due to the level of exploitation and habitat degradation. Considering the relative area of habitat in Northwest Atlantic and Atlantic South America, Southern Stingray is suspected to have undergone a population reduction of 20–29% over the past three generation lengths (32 years), and it is assessed as Near Threatened (nearly meeting Vulnerable A2d).

The Southern Stingray occurs in the Northwest and Western Central Atlantic Oceans from New Jersey, USA to Amapá, Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea (Last et al. 2016, Petean et al. 2020).

There are no data on the population size of Southern Stingray. In the Northwest Atlantic, the relative abundance of this species is considered stable throughout its range in the Caribbean region and it is present in 81% of all the surveyed reefs (D. Cardeñosa and D. Chapman unpubl. data 2019). In the southern Gulf of Mexico off Mexico, landings from the artisanal gillnet and mainly longline fisheries are considered stable from 2006 to 2014 (Lara-Mendoza et al. 2016). In Honduras (Roatan Island), a reduction in the size of the population was reported from 2016 to 2017 but no further data on this decline is available (MarAllianz Honduras unpubl. data 2019). It is abundant in nearshore waters in the northeast Gulf of Mexico, especially along the west coast of Florida and is common during summer months in estuaries and coastal areas along the east coast of the U.S. It is common throughout most of the Greater and Lesser Antilles.

Population trend data are available from three sources: (1) from Belize based on baited remote underwater videos (BRUVs) (G. Clementi and D. Chapman unpubl. data 2019), (2) a scientific trawl survey in the Gulf of Mexico (A. Pollack NOAA Fisheries, SEFSC, Mississippi Laboratories unpubl. data 2019) and (3) landings data in Mexico (CONAPESCA, 2019, J.C. Pérez-Jiménez pers. comm. 21/6/2019). These trend data was analysed over three generation lengths using a Bayesian state-space framework (a modification of Winker et al. 2018, Sherley et al. 2020). This analysis yields an annual rate of change, a median change over three generation lengths, and the probability of the most likely IUCN Red List category percent change over three generations (see the Supplementary Information). First, the relative abundance time series based on BRUVs from 2009 to 2018 (G. Clementi and D. Chapman unpubl. data 2019) off Belize indicated that abundance increased over the time series at a rate of 9.6% per year. Second, data from a trawl survey (A. Pollack NOAA Fisheries, SEFSC, Mississippi Laboratories unpubl. data 2019) indicated a decline of 4.1% over one generation (15.8 years). Third, landings data from Mexico from 2000 to 2014 suggests a general stable population (annual rate of change +0.5%) (CONAPESCA 2019, J.C. Pérez-Jiménez pers. comm. 21/6/2019). When all data sets are considered in the global analysis, the annual rate of change over all data series was -0.1%. The corresponding probabilities were in Least Concern (51%), Endangered (20%) and Critically Endangered (16%). In the southwest Atlantic, there are no range-wide estimates of population size for this species. It remains common across most of its range. In Colombia, the Southern Stingray was assessed as Near Threatened due to the level of exploitation and habitat degradation there (Navia et al. 2017). There are no data for Venezuela and the Guianas, but there are intense artisanal fisheries there and it is suspected that these are leading to some reduction in population size. Taken with the evidence of stability from other studies, it is inferred this species is Least Concern in the Northwest Atlantic. Considering the relative area of habitat in Northwest Atlantic and Atlantic South America, this species is suspected to have undergone a population reduction of 20–29% over the past three generation lengths (32 years).

The Southern Stingray inhabits sandflats near seagrasses and coral reefs to a depth of 100 m (Last et al. 2016, Weigmann 2016). It reaches a maximum size of 150 cm disc width (DW); males mature at 51 cm DW and females mature at 75–80 cm DW (Last et al. 2016). Reproduction is viviparous and females give birth annually to 2–7 pups, with a size-at-birth of17–19 cm DW (after 5–8 months of gestation when in captivity) (Ramírez-Mosqueda et al. 2012, Last et al. 2016). In the Southern Gulf of Mexico, size-at-maturity was estimated at 57.7 cm DW (males) and 76.4 cm DW (females). Age-at-50% maturity for females is 5.5 years. Maximum age in the wild is 17 years in southwest Florida (Hayne et al. 2018) and in captivity is 26 years (Henningsen 2002), and therefore generation length is estimated to be 11.3–15.8 years. We use the lower estimate as this is more similar to its congener the Longnose Stingray (H. guttatus) (F.M. Santana unpubl. data 2018).

The Southern Stingray is captured as bycatch in artisanal trammel nets, gillnets, beach seines, and longlines, and in commercial trawl and longline fisheries. In some regions, interactions with tourism are considered a threat for this species, for example in the Grand Cayman Islands there have been changes to feeding habits, parasites, diel activity and predations risk (Corcoran et al. 2013, Vaudo et al. 2018). There is also the threat of habitat degradation, mainly mangrove, reefs and seagrass areas.

In Mexico, Southern Stingray comprises 55–92% of the batoids catches from the artisanal gillnet and mainly longline fisheries (Lara-Mendoza et al. 2016). The catches range from 1046–2155 t per year with an average of 1341 t per year (J.C. Pérez-Jiménez pers. comm. 25/06/2019). In Cuba, this species is captured in the commercial shrimp trawl fishery operating off the southeast coast (Briones et al. 2018). Southern Stingray are harvested in parts of South America and fisheries exist in Venezuela, Colombia, and Brazil. Artisanal fisheries are intense across much of coastal Atlantic South America, and there are largely unmanaged commercial trawl and longline fisheries in many areas. Despite these fisheries, this stingray has shown signs of stability in several areas, and is productive enough to withstand some fishing pressure, but has also shown to be more susceptible in other areas where fishing is most intense.

Although it is generally discarded alive with suspected high survivorship in US waters, this species is utilized and even targeted in artisanal fisheries across much of the southern portion of its range. It is taken as a food source in Mexico, Cuba, Guatemala, Colombia (M. Pilar Blanco, J.C. Pérez Jiménez, A. Briones Bell-lloch, D. Cardeñosa unpubl. data 2019). Its meat is used as bait in Honduras, Barbados, Antiqua and Barbuda and possibly in the French Caribbean too (E. Espinoza and N. Simpson unpubl. data 2019). It is also considered an important species for interactions with tourists (Grand Caiman, Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda, Mexico, Turks and Caicos).

There are some protected areas across Caribbean countries (e.g. Mexican Caribbean, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Panama). In Guatemala, there are no-take periods of the year specific for stingrays but enforcement is a challenge (C. Avalos pers. comm. 21/6/2019). Belize has a large protected area which serves as a ray sanctuary (E. Espinoza pers. comm. 21/6/2019). In the United States, there are state net bans which would provide a refuge to fishing in states where they are implemented. Further research is needed on population size and trend, and life history, and catch rates should be monitored.