Oceania fantail ray (Taeniura lessoni)

Classification (WoRMS)

Full classification as recorded by WoRMS: Kingdom: Animalia · Phylum: Chordata · Class: Elasmobranchii · Order: Myliobatiformes · Family: Dasyatidae · Genus: Taeniura.

Accepted name: Taeniura lessoni · Authority: Last, White & Naylor, 2016 · Taxonomic status: accepted · AphiaID: 1043629.

Source: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1043629 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Biology and life history (FishBase)

Measured values published by FishBase for Taeniura lessoni. Only fields the database actually holds for this species are shown; these are database values, not aquarium guidance.

Maximum length: 20.899999618530273 cm · Habitat zone: pelagic-neritic · Body shape: other · Vulnerability index: 90 of 100 · Aquarium trade: never/rarely.

FishBase notes: This species probably occur mainly inshore, with types collected from surge channels in fringing coral reefs, to at least 18 m depth (Ref. 110363)..

Source: FishBase species summary (SpecCode 68038) — https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Taeniura-lessoni.html (CC BY-NC 3.0 — non-commercial use only). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Distribution and occurrence records (GBIF)

125 georeferenced occurrence records for Taeniura lessoni are published through GBIF from 4 countries or marine areas. The map above plots 29 distinct locations from a sample of 125 records, omitting 4 inland records that carry an institution's coordinates rather than a collection site; it shows where the species has been observed and reported, not a modelled range.

Most records by country or area: Fiji (82); Solomon Islands (15); Vanuatu (15); Wallis and Futuna (13).

Source: GBIF Occurrence Search (taxonKey 8924878) — https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=8924878&has_coordinate=true (records CC0 / CC BY); WoRMS distribution records (MarineRegions) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1043629 (CC BY 4.0); Natural Earth 110m basemap — https://www.naturalearthdata.com/ (public domain). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Conservation status (IUCN Red List)

The IUCN Red List assesses Taeniura lessoni Last, White & Naylor, 2016 as Data Deficient (code DD). No trend, population estimate or threat analysis is given here, because none is available from this source without the Red List API; follow the source link for the full assessment, including its date.

Source: IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (taxon 116855477) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/116855477/0; GBIF IUCN Red List category endpoint (taxonKey 8924878) — https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/8924878/iucnRedListCategory. Accessed 2026-09-23.

Description and natural history (Wikipedia)

Oceania fantail ray can be distinguished by numerous characteristics, including the absence of a pair of blue-ish longitudinal stripes along the tail's sides, absence of dorsal fold but upper margin of tail with a firm ridge, relatively short post-orbital disc, and uniformly pale ventral fold. It can reach a maximum size of around 21 or 22 cm disc width.

This species is usually found inshore, especially coral reefs habitat, in the depth of around 18 m. These rays have been found in Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and Fiji, although the distribution range might be wider.

There are no details or reports regarding Oceania fantail ray being captured by fisheries. The only possible threat to this species might be a habitat-level one, such as coral bleaching resulted by climate change.

The fish is named in honor of René Lesson (1794–1849), a French surgeon-naturalist, who once worked on the members of this genus in Melanesia, where this stingray is found.

Source: Wikipedia: Taeniura lessoni — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taeniura_lessoni (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.

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