Gymnura
micrura
(Bloch & Schneider, 1801)
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Family:
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Gymnuridae
(Butterfly rays)
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Order:
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Rajiformes
(skates and rays)
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Class:
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Elasmobranchii (sharks and rays)
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In this site name:
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Smooth butterfly ray |
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Max. size:
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137 cm WD (male/unsexed; Ref. 4439) |
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Environment: |
demersal; brackish; marine; depth range ? – 40 m
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Climate: |
deep-water |
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Importance:
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fisheries: minor commercial |
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Resilience: |
Very low, minimum population doubling time more than 14 years (Fec assumed to be <10) |
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Distribution:
Go to ccfishery.net
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Western Atlantic: Maryland, USA to Brazil. Also Gulf of Mexico and northern South America to Brazil (Ref. 26938). Eastern Atlantic: Senegal, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Cameroon and Democratic Republic of the Congo (to the mouth of Congo River) (Ref. 4439). Reported from Mauritania (Ref. 55783). Nominal records from off Sri Lanka, India, Malaysia, Singapore, Viet Nam, Borneo and Sumatra in Indonesia, and the Philippines need to be verified if indeed it is the same species that occurs in the Atlantic (Ref. 9918).
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Morphology:
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Broad, diamond-shaped ray with a very short tail lacking a dorsal spine (Ref. 26938). Snout protruding. Front edges of disk concave. Tail with low dorsal and ventral finfolds and 3 - 4 dark crossbars (Ref. 7251). Upper surface gray, brown, light green or purple with round spots. Lower surface white (Ref. 6902).
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Biology: |
Prefers neritic waters of the continental shelf and usually found on soft bottoms. May enter brackish estuaries or hyper-saline lagoons (Ref. 5217). Feeds on fish and shrimps (Ref. 28587). Ovoviviparous (Ref. 50449). Generally marketed salted (Ref. 5217).
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Red List Status: |
Data deficient (DD) (Ref. 57073)
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Dangerous:
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harmless
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Coordinator: |
McEachran, John
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