Aetobatus narinari
Spotted Eagle Ray
NS
G4
Collection Details
Specimens
Photos
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Chondrichthyes (Cartilaginous Fishes)
Myliobatiformes (Stingrays)
Myliobatidae (Eagle Rays)
Aetobatus
Aetobatus narinari (Spotted Eagle Ray)
Description
This species account was compiled from
Composite (multiple sources) (McEachran, J.D. and J.D. Fechhelm. Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico. University of Texas Press, Austin.)
and processed using AI-assisted text extraction.
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Characters
Broad, lozenge-shaped disc; angular snout; slender, long, whiplike tail; snout moderately short (preorbital length 6-7% of disc width); rostral section of pectoral fin separated from main section; disc 2.1 times as broad as long; anterior margins of disc slightly convex, outer corners abruptly rounded, posterior margins concave; mouth nearly straight; nasal curtain indented medially; floor of mouth with transverse row of six papillae; teeth in single series; pelvic fin relatively narrow, extending posterior to pectoral fin; dorsal fin located over insertion of pelvic fin, base about equal to half distance between exposed nostrils; body naked.
Dorsally olivaceous to dark brown with small white, greenish, or yellow spots; occasionally dorsal margin of disc completely dark; ventrally white, except subrostral lobe and posterior margins of pelvic fins dusky.
Distribution
North Carolina to southern Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico, the Bahamas, the Antilles, and Bermuda.
Habitat Associations
Tropical to temperate seas, frequently captured close to shore.
Biology
Polychaetes, mollusks, crustaceans, and bony fishes.
Maximum known size is 230 cm DW.
Generally four young per litter; young range from 179 to 360 mm DW at birth.
Commonly found in coastal habitats to at least 60 m depth (Ref. 114953). Swims close to the surface, occasionally leaping out of the water, or close to the bottom (Ref. 3175). Frequently forming large schools during the non-breeding season (Ref. 7251). Feeds on polychaetes, bivalves, gastropods, cepahlopods, shrimps and small fishes (Ref. 114953). Ovoviviparous (Ref. 50449). Bears young in litters of 2-4 (Ref. 26938, 114953).
IUCN Red List Status: Endangered (EN), assessed 2020-07-28. Resilience: Very low (tm=4-6; Fec=1-2).
Phylogeny and Morphologically Similar Fishes
Distinguished from other species of the family by the combination of characters described.
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Reported to be destructive to clam and oyster beds.
References
Bigelow and Schroeder 1953a
Cervigon 1966
Bohlke and Chaplin 1968
Hoese and Moore 1977
Snelson and Williams 1981
C. R. Robins et al. 1986
Randall, J.E. (1967) Food habits of reef fishes of the West Indies. Stud. Trop. Oceanogr. Miami 5:665-847.
Breder, C.M. and D.E. Rosen (1966) Modes of reproduction in fishes. T.F.H. Publications, Neptune City, New Jersey. 941 p.
Myers, R.F. (1991) Micronesian reef fishes. Second Ed. Coral Graphics, Barrigada, Guam. 298 p.
Compagno, L.J.V., D.A. Ebert and M.J. Smale (1989) Guide to the sharks and rays of southern Africa. New Holland (Publ.) Ltd., London. 158 p.
Lieske, E. and R. Myers (1994) Collins Pocket Guide. Coral reef fishes. Indo-Pacific & Caribbean including the Red Sea. Haper Collins Publishers, 400 p.
Smith, C.L. (1997) National Audubon Society field guide to tropical marine fishes of the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, Florida, the Bahamas, and Bermuda. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., New York. 720 p.
Last, P.R., W.T. White, M.R. de Carvalho, B. Séret, M.F.W. Stehmann and G.J.P. Naylor (2016) Rays of the world. CSIRO Publishing, Comstock Publishing Associates. i-ix + 1-790.
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