Rays Codexery

Mangrove whipray

A solitary stingray with a white tail, found in Indo-Pacific waters.

Last updated

Mangrove whipray

via Wikipedia: Mangrove whipray · Public domain

The mangrove whipray (Urogymnus granulatus), also known as the whitetail stingray, is a species of stingray in the family Dasyatidae. It is notable for its distinctive white tail past the stinging spine and its thick, oval pectoral fin disc covered with white flecks. This benthic inhabitant of shallow inshore waters is widely distributed in the Indo-Pacific region, from the Red Sea to northern Australia and Micronesia.

Scientific classification

  1. KingdomAnimalia
  2. PhylumChordata
  3. ClassChondrichthyes
  4. SubclassElasmobranchii
  5. OrderMyliobatiformes
  6. FamilyDasyatidae
  7. GenusUrogymnus
  8. SpeciesUrogymnus granulatus

Named by (W. J. Macleay, 1883)

Close relatives

Other species of Urogymnus with a Codexery entry.

Sources: Wikipedia taxobox: Mangrove whipray (CC BY-SA 4.0) · order, family and genus agree with WoRMS AphiaID 989371 (CC BY 4.0)

Conservation status

Endangered (EN)

  1. LC
  2. NT
  3. VU
  4. EN▲ this species
  5. CR
  6. EW
  7. EX
Population trend
Not held in our sources — see the assessment
Assessment published
2024

Source: IUCN Red List assessment · GBIF copy of the Red List category

How big is it?

Size comparison: Mangrove whipray and a personA 3.5 m long mangrove whipray drawn to scale next to a 1.8 m tall person. Schematic shapes, not a likeness.3.5 m1.8 m

Largest length in the source, 3.5 m, next to a 1.8 m person.

Diagram: drawn by Codexery, schematic shapes to scale (not a likeness). Length: Wikipedia: Mangrove whipray

Where the mangrove whipray has been recorded

Where the mangrove whipray has been recorded136 mapped locations from 561 GBIF occurrence records; marked places: Red Sea, New GuineaRed SeaNew Guinea

Each dot is a place where the species has been observed and reported (561 records, half-degree grid) — not a modelled range. 24 inland records left out (institution coordinates).

Map: drawn by Codexery. Data: GBIF occurrence search (records CC0 / CC BY) · Natural Earth basemap (public domain) · place coordinates: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Lore & Background

Australian zoologist William John Macleay published the first scientific account of the mangrove whipray in 1883, describing an immature female caught off Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. He named it Trygon granulata, noting the small granules covering the specimen's head and back. In 1928, Gilbert Percy Whitley moved it to the genus Himantura, but it is now considered to be in the genus Urogymnus.

The mangrove whipray has a very thick, oval pectoral fin disc that is dark gray above with numerous white flecks, which become denser with increasing size. Its tail is thick at the base, measures 1.5–2 times longer than the disc width, and abruptly becomes white past the sting. The upper surface is roughened by tiny dermal denticles, and one or two irregular rows of thorns run along the dorsal midline from the head to the sting. The dark coloration is due to a layer of mucus; without it, the body is light orange-gray.

This species is solitary and relatively inactive during the day, often resting half-buried in sand or atop coral heads, and actively forages at night. Juveniles feed mainly on small crustaceans, while adults prey on small benthic bony fishes and invertebrates. Like other stingrays, it is aplacental viviparous, with females nourishing their unborn young via histotroph.

Did You Know?

Related entries

Same family (Dasyatidae)

Atlantic stingray Hypanus sabinusBennett's stingray Hemitrygon bennettiBlack-spotted whipray Maculabatis astraBlackedge whipray Himantura marginataBlackish stingray Hemitrygon navarraeBlue stingray Dasyatis chrysonota

Named in this entry

Nutrient

More in Rays

Whiptail stingrayHeliobatisHemitrygonHimanturaHypanus rubioiMaskrayNeotrygon australiaeNeotrygon orientalisPteroplatytrygonRoughtail stingrayTelatrygon acutirostraBrevitrygon walga

Test yourself

Three questions drawn from this entry’s sources. Pick an answer to check it.

1. In what year was the mangrove whipray first scientifically described?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is 1883.

From the source: “Australian zoologist William John Macleay published the first scientific account of the mangrove whipray, a brief description of an immature female 86 cm long caught off Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, in an 1883 volume of Proceedings of th”

2. To which biological family does the mangrove whipray belong?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is Dasyatidae.

From the source: “The mangrove whipray (Urogymnus granulatus) or whitetail stingray, is a species of stingray in the family Dasyatidae.”

3. Who first scientifically described the mangrove whipray?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is William John Macleay.

From the source: “Australian zoologist William John Macleay published the first scientific account of the mangrove whipray, a brief description of an immature female 86 cm long caught off Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, in an 1883 volume of Proceedings of th”

Answers checked against the source article

Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

Spotted an error? Know more?

Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced

Comments

Loading…
Open in the interactive codex →