Bishop ray vs Rootless Duckweed

Aetobatus narinari compared with Wolffia arrhiza

Key Differences

• Bishop ray is Near Threatened while Rootless Duckweed is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Bishop ray	Rootless Duckweed
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Elasmobranchii	Liliopsida (Monocots)
Order	Myliobatiformes (Myliobatiformes)	Alismatales (Alismatales)
Family	Myliobatidae	Araceae
Genus	Aetobatus	Wolffia
Species	Aetobatus narinari	Wolffia arrhiza

Conservation Status

Bishop ray

NT — Near Threatened

Rootless Duckweed

EN — Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Bishop ray	Rootless Duckweed
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Bishop ray

Habitat

Native to Asia and South America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Taiwan, and Venezuela. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Rootless Duckweed

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, and temperate coniferous forests, among 4 distinct biome types spanning the Indomalayan and Oceanian and Palearctic realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Japan), Europe (10 countries), North America (Canada), and South America (Brazil). Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Bishop ray

The Bishop ray (Aetobatus narinari) is a species in the genus Aetobatus. It is currently classified as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List. Native to Asia and South America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.