Bluespotted ribbontail ray
Last updated
Diego Delso · via Wikipedia: Bluespotted ribbontail ray · CC BY-SA 4.0
According to WoRMS, the accepted name for this species is Taeniura lymma, placed within the Dasyatidae family.[2]
Scientific classification
- KingdomAnimalia
- PhylumChordata
- ClassChondrichthyes
- SubclassElasmobranchii
- OrderMyliobatiformes
- FamilyDasyatidae
- GenusTaeniura
- SpeciesTaeniura lymma
Named by (Forsskål, 1775)
Close relatives
Other species of Taeniura with a Codexery entry.
- Taeniura lessoni Taeniura lessoni
Sources: Wikipedia taxobox: Bluespotted ribbontail ray (CC BY-SA 4.0) · order, family and genus agree with WoRMS AphiaID 217422 (CC BY 4.0)
Conservation status
Least Concern (LC)
- LC▲ this species
- NT
- VU
- EN
- CR
- EW
- EX
Source: IUCN Red List assessment · GBIF copy of the Red List category
How big is it?
Largest length in the source, 0.8 m, next to a 1.8 m person.
Diagram: drawn by Codexery, schematic shapes to scale (not a likeness). Length: Wikipedia: Bluespotted ribbontail ray
Where the bluespotted ribbontail ray has been recorded
Each dot is a place where the species has been observed and reported (6,456 records, half-degree grid) — not a modelled range. 32 inland records left out (institution coordinates).
Map: drawn by Codexery. Data: GBIF occurrence search (records CC0 / CC BY) · Natural Earth basemap (public domain)
Last updated 2026-10-08 from the source article.
Biology and range
The thick, depressed tail measures about 1.5 times the disc length and bears one or two serrated spines.[3] The skin is generally smooth, with numerous circular, neon blue spots on a yellowish brown or green skin.[4] This ray is widespread in nearshore waters of the tropical Indo-Pacific region, from South Africa to Southeast Asia.[5] Like other stingrays, this species is aplacental viviparous, with embryos initially sustained by yolk.[6]
This ray lives on the bottom, often found around coral reefs and nearby sandy flats, and is seldom seen at depths greater than 30 m.[5] Among Indo-Pacific reefs, it is one of the most common stingrays; during daylight it typically stays hidden by itself in caves, under coral ledges, or beneath other cover.[7] It digs pits in the sand to find molluscs, polychaete worms, shrimps, crabs, and small benthic bony fishes.[8]
What the specialist sources record
The Animal Diversity Web states that Taeniura lymma is ovoviviparous and uses electroreception to communicate.[1]
References
- Miller, J., "Taeniura lymma", Animal Diversity Web, 2002. facts only, no text reused. animaldiversity.org
- World Register of Marine Species, Taeniura lymma (AphiaID 217422). CC BY 4.0. marinespecies.org
- Wikipedia, "Bluespotted ribbontail ray" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Coastal Fishes of Oman", University of Hawaii Press, 1995, p. 47; "The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific", Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, 1999, p. 1479–1505 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Bluespotted ribbontail ray" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific", Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, 1999, p. 1479–1505 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Bluespotted ribbontail ray" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Sherman, C.S., "Taeniura lymma", 2021; "Coastal Fishes of Oman", University of Hawaii Press, 1995, p. 47; Sherman, C.S., "Taeniura lymma", 2021 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Bluespotted ribbontail ray" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Michael, S.W., "Reef Sharks and Rays of the World – A Guide To Their Identification, Behavior and Ecology", Sea Challengers, 1993, p. 107 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Bluespotted ribbontail ray" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Sharks", Firefly Books, 2002, p. 214–215; "The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific", Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, 1999, p. 1479–1505; Michael, S.W., "Reef Sharks and Rays of the World – A Guide To Their Identification, Behavior and Ecology", Sea Challengers, 1993, p. 107 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Bluespotted ribbontail ray" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Bester, C., "Biological Profiles: Bluespotted Ribbontail Ray", Florida Museum of Natural History Ichthyology Department (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 Bluespotted ribbontail ray (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.
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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.
- Wikipedia: Bluespotted ribbontail ray (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Classification: the source article's taxobox; order, family and genus checked against WoRMS, the World Register of Marine Species (CC BY 4.0).
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List assessment.
- Occurrence records: GBIF (CC0 / CC BY). Basemap: Natural Earth (public domain).
- Word definitions: the Codexery glossary, each quoted from its Wikipedia article.
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