Rays Codexery

Daisy stingray

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Daisy stingray

Theo Modder · via Wikipedia: Daisy stingray · CC BY 3.0

A distinctive feature is a greatly enlarged, nacreous denticle on its back called a "pearl spine".[1] Adult specimens typically reach a disc width of 60 cm and possess a rounded pectoral fin disc.[1]

Scientific classification

  1. KingdomAnimalia
  2. PhylumChordata
  3. ClassChondrichthyes
  4. SubclassElasmobranchii
  5. OrderMyliobatiformes
  6. FamilyDasyatidae
  7. GenusFontitrygon
  8. SpeciesFontitrygon margarita

Named by (Günther, 1870)

Close relatives

Other species of Fontitrygon with a Codexery entry.

Sources: Wikipedia taxobox: Daisy stingray (CC BY-SA 4.0) · order, family and genus agree with WoRMS AphiaID 1042838 (CC BY 4.0)

Conservation status

Vulnerable (VU)

  1. LC
  2. NT
  3. VU▲ this species
  4. EN
  5. CR
  6. EW
  7. EX
Population trend
Not held in our sources — see the assessment
Assessment published
2021

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

How big is it?

Size comparison: Daisy stingray and a personA 1 m long daisy stingray drawn to scale next to a 1.8 m tall person. Schematic shapes, not a likeness.1 m1.8 m

Largest length in the source, 1 m, next to a 1.8 m person.

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

Where the daisy stingray has been recorded

Where the daisy stingray has been recorded44 mapped locations from 1,018 GBIF occurrence records

Each dot is a place where the species has been observed and reported (1,018 records, half-degree grid) — not a modelled range. 57 inland records left out (institution coordinates). 1 isolated far-off record not drawn.

Map: drawn by Codexery. Data: GBIF occurrence search (records CC0 / CC BY) · Natural Earth basemap (public domain)

Biology and range

The known range of the daisy stingray extends from Senegal to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.[2] This ray lives on the seafloor in both marine and brackish environments where salinity levels range from 20 to 40 ppt.[2] Its preferred substrate is sand, and it occupies shallow coastal areas down to 60 meters deep.[2] Crustaceans and annelid worms, including shrimp, crabs, and bivalves, constitute the primary food sources for this species.[3]

Each litter contains between one and four offspring, with estuaries and coastal lagoons functioning as nursery areas.[4] The highest levels of reproductive activity occur during the April-to-September rainy season.[4] According to reports, the venom from the ray's tail spine is quite potent and can cause harm to people.[5]

What the specialist sources record

The World Register of Marine Species records the accepted name as Fontitrygon margarita (Günther, 1870) in the family Dasyatidae.[6] GBIF holds 1,213 occurrence records for this taxon as of October 2026.[7] Off the shores of Senegal, Ghana, and Côte d'Ivoire, artisanal and small-scale commercial fisheries capture the daisy stingray.[5] Industrial development and agricultural runoff that degrade habitats could pose additional risks to the ray's population.[8]

Because this ray reproduces slowly and was once abundant but is now caught infrequently, the IUCN has classified it as Vulnerable.[8] No dedicated conservation programs have yet been established for the daisy stingray.[8]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Daisy stingray" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Compagno, L.J.V., "Marine and freshwater stingrays (Dasyatidae) of West Africa, with description of a new species", Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, December 11, 1984, p. 283–300 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Daisy stingray" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Jabado, R.W., "Fontitrygon margarita", 2021; Panfili, J., "Influence of salinity on the size at maturity for fish species reproducing in contrasting West African estuaries", Journal of Fish Biology, 2006, p. 95–113; Sætersdal, G., "The Dr. Fridtjof Nansen Programme 1975–1993: Investigations of Fishery Resources in Developing Regions: History of the Programme and Review of Results", Food and Agriculture Organization of the Unit; Omotosho, J.S., "Spatial distribution and some body parameters of sting ray, Dasyatis margarita (Gunther) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Daisy stingray" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Jabado, R.W., "Fontitrygon margarita", 2021; ; Omotosho, J.S. and M.O. Oyebanji (1997). On some aspects of the biology of Dasyatis margarita (Gunther) from Nigeria continental shore . University of Ilorin. R (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Daisy stingray" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Jabado, R.W., "Fontitrygon margarita", 2021; Omotosho, J.S., "Spatial distribution and some body parameters of sting ray, Dasyatis margarita (Gunther) in the inshore waters of Nigeria", Nigerian Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences, December 2016; Mepham, R., "A Directory of African Wetlands", International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, 1992, p. 295 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Daisy stingray" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Omotosho, J.S. and M.O. Oyebanji (1997). On some aspects of the biology of Dasyatis margarita (Gunther) from Nigeria continental shore . University of Ilorin. R (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. World Register of Marine Species, Fontitrygon margarita (AphiaID 1042838). CC BY 4.0. marinespecies.org
  7. GBIF Backbone Taxonomy and occurrence index, Fontitrygon margarita (taxon key 9577286). CC BY 4.0 (backbone); counts are facts. gbif.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Daisy stingray" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Jabado, R.W., "Fontitrygon margarita", 2021 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Daisy stingray (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

Related entries

Same family (Dasyatidae)

Atlantic stingray Hypanus sabinus, Black-spotted whipray Maculabatis astra, Blackedge whipray Himantura marginata, Blue stingray Dasyatis chrysonota

More in Rays

Niger stingrayPearl stingrayPincushion raySharpsnout stingrayBennett's stingrayBlackish stingrayChinese stingrayDwarf black stingrayEstuary stingrayIzu stingrayMekong freshwater stingrayRed stingray

Test yourself

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

1. What is the IUCN Red List category of the daisy stingray?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is Vulnerable.

2. What is the scientific name of the daisy stingray?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is Fontitrygon margarita.

3. Who first scientifically described the daisy stingray?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is Albert Günther.

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.

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