Gymnura altavela
Spiny Butterfly Ray
Collection Details
Specimens
Photos
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Chondrichthyes (Cartilaginous Fishes)
Myliobatiformes (Stingrays)
Gymnuridae (Butterfly Rays)
Gymnura
Gymnura altavela (Spiny Butterfly 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
Very broad, lozenge-shaped disc; short, blunt snout; slender, short tail; pre-orbital length 7-8% of disc width; maximum snout angle 135°; anterior margin of disc slightly convex to level of eye and slightly concave from eye to level of spiracle; outer corners of disc abruptly rounded; mouth moderately arched laterally but straight medially; 98-138 tooth rows in upper jaw; teeth with high, conical cusps; inner posterior margin of spiracle with tentacle-like structure; pelvic fin anterior margin more or less straight and slightly shorter than distance from origin of fin to posterior margin; outer corner of pelvic fin abruptly rounded, posterior margin convex; tail length about one-fourth disc width; tail lacks dorsal fin but has one or more serrated spines at base and dorsal and ventral ridge along entire length; juveniles and subadults naked, adults with denticles on central part of disc
Dark brown dorsally with small, darker spots or light spots and blotches; white ventrally; tail of small specimens marked with pale crossbars
Distribution
From southern Massachusetts to Rio de la Plata, Argentina, from the shoreline to 55 m in the western Atlantic
Not reported from the Gulf of Mexico but likely occurs there on rare occasions
Habitat Associations
Tropical to temperate waters, from shoreline to 55 m depth
Biology
Maximum known size is 2,082 mm DW
Litters consist of four young
Maximum length measured is 140 cm (Ref. 5377). Occurs over sand and mud. Feeds on fishes, crustaceans, mollusks and plankton. Ovoviviparous, gestation lasting about 6 months with 4 to 7 embryos produced per female (Ref. 6676).
IUCN Red List Status: Endangered (EN), assessed 2019-06-21. Resilience: Very low (Fec 4-7).
Phylogeny and Morphologically Similar Fishes
Distinguished from other species of the family by the combination of characters described
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: minor commercial; gamefish.
References
Bigelow and Schroeder 1953a
Daiber and Booth 1960
McEachran and Capape 1984b
C. R. Robins et al. 1986
Breder, C.M. and D.E. Rosen (1966) Modes of reproduction in fishes. T.F.H. Publications, Neptune City, New Jersey. 941 p.
Bauchot, M.-L. (1987) Raies et autres batoides. p. 845-886. In W. Fischer, M.L. Bauchot and M. Schneider (eds.) Fiches FAO d'identificationpour les besoins de la pêche. (rev. 1). Mèditerranée et mer Noire. Zone de pêche 37. Vol. II. Commission des Communautés Européennes and FAO, Rome.
Stehmann, M. (1981) Gymnuridae. In W. Fischer, G. Bianchi and W.B. Scott (eds.) FAO species identification sheets for fishery purposes. Eastern Central Atlantic (fishing areas 34, 47 (in part) . Vol. 5.
McEachran, J.D. and B. Séret (1990) Gymnuridae. p. 64-66. In J.C. Quero, J.C. Hureau, C. Karrer, A. Post and L. Saldanha (eds.) Check-list of the fishes of the eastern tropical Atlantic (CLOFETA). JNICT, Lisbon; SEI, Paris; and UNESCO, Paris. Vol. 1.
Brito, A. (1991) Catalogo de los pesces de las Islas Canarias. Francisco Lemus, la Laguna. 230 p.
Bigelow, H.B. and W.C. Schroeder (1953) Sawfishes, guitarfishes, skates and rays. p. 1-514. In J. Tee-Van et al. (eds.) Fishes of the western North Atlantic. Part two. New Haven, Sears Found. Mar. Res., Yale Univ.
Robins, C.R. and G.C. Ray (1986) A field guide to Atlantic coast fishes of North America. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, U.S.A. 354 p.
Diouf, P.S. (1996) Les peuplements de poissons des milieux estuariens de l'Afrique de l'Ouest: L'exemple de l'estuaire hyperhalin du Sine-Saloum. Université de Montpellier II. Thèses et Documents Microfiches No.156. ORSTOM, Paris. 267 p.
Bowman, R.E., C.E. Stillwell, W.L. Michaels and M.D. Grosslein (2000) Food of northwest Atlantic fishes and two common species of squid. NOAA Tech. Memo. NMFS-NE 155, 138 p.
Comments On Gymnura altavela