What was the first stingray ever found?

The first stingray species to be scientifically described was the common stingray, known as Dasyatis pastinaca, which was documented by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 work "Systema Naturae." Stingrays have a long evolutionary history, with ancestors dating back over 200 million years. They are part of the broader group of cartilaginous fish, which also includes sharks. Fossil evidence indicates that various stingray species have existed for millions of years, long before they were formally classified.