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