Species: Styracura schmardae, Caribbean whiptail stingray

1 pair tubercles on shoulders
tail spines well to rear

Styracura schmardae (Werner, 1904)
Caribbean whiptail stingray
Head continuous with disc; disc oval, 1-1.1 times wider than long, evenly rounded to almost straight at front, outer edges and rear corners of disc rounded; snout length less than or equal to distance between spiracles; nostrils with a large fringed curtain between them and the mouth; floor of the mouth has fleshy papillae; long slender tail with 1 long venomous spine, not depressed at base, no dorsal or tail fins, without dorsal fin fold, with a very low, indistinct keel on underside that originates at the level of the spine, a ridge running along each side of front ¼ of the tail base; disc uniformly covered with small flattened denticles (enlarged on shoulders), but without large thorns.
Upper surface dark brown to dark olive or sepia; lower surface yellowish to whitish.
Reaches to 180 cm disc width.
Lives on shallow softbottoms; fresh to fully marine saltwater; common in mangrove lagoons.
Depth range: 1-30 m.
Gulf of Mexico to French Guiana.

High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
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- Marine
- Freshwater
- Brackish
- Inshore/Offshore
-
- Inshore Only
- Inshore
- Water Column Position
-
- Bottom
- Bottom only
- Habitat
-
- Sand & gravel
- Mud
- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- Soft bottom only
- Estuary
- Beach
- FishBase Habitat
-
- Demersal
- Feeding Group
-
- No Data
- Carnivore
- Diet
-
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Sea-stars/cucumbers/urchins
- Octopus/squid/cuttlefish
- Sessile crustacea
- Bony fishes
- Egg Type
-
- No pelagic larva
- Live birth
- No data
- Global Endemism
-
- West Atlantic Endemic
- Greater Caribbean endemic
- Regional Endemism
-
- Extends South of GC
- Continent + Island (s)
- Island (s)
- Continent
- GC endemic
- Residency
-
- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
- Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
- IUCN Red List
-
- Listed
- Data deficient
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 180
- Depth Range Min
-
- 1
- Depth Range Max
-
- 30