Tasmanian numbfish

Tasmanian numbfish
Preserved specimen
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Chondrichthyes
Subclass:	Elasmobranchii
Superorder:	Batoidea
Order:	Torpediniformes
Family:	Narcinidae
Genus:	Narcinops
Species:	N. tasmaniensis
Binomial name
Narcinops tasmaniensis Richardson, 1841
Geographic range (blue)[2]
Synonyms
Narcine tasmaniensis

The Tasmanian numbfish (Narcinops tasmaniensis) is a species of electric ray in the family Narcinidae. Endemic to southeastern Australia, this common ray inhabits shallow continental shelf waters in the southern portion of its range and deeper continental slope waters in the northern portion of its range. It prefers sand and mud habitats. This species can be identified by its spade-shaped pectoral fin disc with concave anterior margins, long tail with well-developed skin folds along either side, and plain dark brown dorsal colouration. Its maximum known length is 47 cm (19 in).

Bottom-dwelling and sedentary, the Tasmanian numbfish feeds mainly on polychaete worms and crustaceans. As in all numbfishes, it can produce a moderate electric shock to defend itself against predators. This species gives live birth, with the unborn young sustained to term by yolk; the litter size ranges from one to eight. The Tasmanian numbfish is a common bycatch of trawl fisheries. However, its population does not appear to be threatened by human activity and it has been assessed as Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).