Taeniura lymma, Blue-spotted Ray [+]
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Elasmobranchii
Order Myliobatiformes
Family Dasyatidae
Genus Taeniura
species: Taeniura lymma [+ITIS +WoRMS]
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Description & Behavior
The blue-spotted ray, Taeniura lymma (Forsskål, 1775), aka blue-spotted fantail ray, blue spotted stingray, blue spotted ray, and ribbontail stingray, is a colorful stingray with large bright blue spots on an oval, elongated disc and blue side-stripes along the tail. The snout is rounded and angular and the disc has broadly rounded outer corners. They have a short tapering tail that is less than twice the body length when intact, with a broad lower caudal finfold that extends to the tail tip. The disc has no large thorns but does have small, flat denticles along the midback in adults. There is usually 1 medium-sized stinging spine on the tail found further from the base than most stingrays. They are gray-brown to yellow, or olive-green to reddish brown in color on the dorsal side, white on the ventral side. They reach a maximum length about 70 cm.
World Range & Habitat
The blue-spotted ray is found around coral reefs in a depth range up to to 20 m. They are only rarely found buried under the sand. In the Indo-West Pacific they are found in the Red Sea and East Africa to the Solomon Islands, north to southern Japan, and southern to northern Australia.
Feeding Behavior (Ecology)
The blue-spotted ray migrates in groups into shallow sandy areas during the rising tide to feed on mollusks, worms, shrimps, and crabs; they disperse at low tide to seek shelter in caves and under ledges.
Life History
Ovoviviparous. Distinct pairing with embrace. Blue-spotted rays bear up to 7 young at one time.
Ovoviviparous: eggs are retained within the body of the female in a brood chamber where the embryo develops, receiving nourishment from a yolk sac. This is the method of reproduction for the "live-bearing" fishes where pups hatch from egg capsules inside the mother's uterus and are born soon afterward. Also known as aplacental viviparous.
Conservation Status/Additional Comments
The blue-spotted ray is venomous. Small specimens are popular among marine aquarists, though they do not survive well in aquariums. Although they are very wide-ranging and common, this species is subject to population decreases because of capture for the marine aquarium fish trade and by widespread destruction of reef habitats.
References & Further Research
BioOne ~ CITES ~ Discover Life ~ GBIF ~ Google Scholar ~ ITIS ~ IUCN RedList ~ MarineBio Network ~ NCBI ~ SCIRIS ~ SIRIS ~ Tree of Life Web Project ~ Wikipedia
Blue-spotted Fantail Ray, Taeniura lymma - Australian Museum
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