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Species: Gymnura micrura, Brazilian Butterfly Ray

All Families:   All Genera:   All Species:

spiracle - no rear tentacle
top: NO fine pale meshwork background
tail barred, no spines
pectoral front edge concave
Venezuela to Brazil

Gymnura micrura (Bloch & Schneider, 1801)

Brazilian Butterfly Ray

Disc rhomboidal, much wider (at least 1.5 times) than long; snout very bluntly pointed, ~12% of disc width; pectorals not separated from head, with concave front edges; mouth arched, no papilla on its floor; jaws with many small teeth in bands; nostrils with a broad, smooth-edged curtain before mouth; spiracle without tentacle on its rear margin; pectorals extend well behind pelvic fin origin; pelvics with one lobe; tail very short, much shorter than disc; no dorsal or no tail fins, but skin folds present on its upper &/or lower surfaces; upper surface usually smooth, without denticles; no spines on tail.

Upper surface grey, brown, green or purplish, sometimes with dark blotches; dark bars across tail; lower surface white, with grey margins.

Reaches 80 cm disc width.

Benthic on sandy bottoms, including estuaries.

Depth range: 1-55 m.

Venezuela to southern Brazil.


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Salinity
  • Brackish
  • Marine
Inshore/Offshore
  • Inshore
  • Inshore Only
Water Column Position
  • Bottom
  • Bottom only
Habitat
  • Sand & gravel
  • Soft bottom only
  • Beach
  • Estuary
FishBase Habitat
  • Demersal
Feeding Group
  • Carnivore
  • Data
Diet
  • Data
  • Bony fishes
Egg Type
  • Data
  • Live birth
  • No pelagic larva
Global Endemism
  • All species
  • Greater Caribbean non-endemic
  • West Atlantic Endemic
Regional Endemism
  • Also in Brazil
  • Continent
  • Continent only
  • Extends South of GC
  • GC non-endemic
  • All species
Residency
  • Resident
Climate Zone
  • Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
  • Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
IUCN Red List
  • Data deficient
  • Listed
CITES
  • Not listed
Length Max
  • 80
Depth Range Min
  • 1
Depth Range Max
  • 55