Whitenose whipray (Pateobatis uarnacoides)

Classification (WoRMS)

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

Accepted name: Pateobatis uarnacoides · Authority: (Bleeker, 1852) · Taxonomic status: accepted · AphiaID: 1043412.

Synonyms and superseded combinations recorded for this taxon: Himantura uarnacoides (Bleeker, 1852); Trygon uarnacoides Bleeker, 1852.

Source: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1043412 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-25.

Biology and life history (FishBase)

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

Maximum length: 119 cm · Habitat zone: demersal · Body shape: other · Vulnerability index: 90 of 100 · Fishery importance: bycatch · Aquarium trade: never/rarely.

FishBase notes: Demersal on soft substrates to a depth of at least 30 m (Ref.58048). Ovoviviparous (Ref. 50449). Common catch component of the demersal tangle net and bottom trawl fisheries. Utilized for its meat, skin (high value) and cartilage (Ref.58048).

Source: FishBase species summary (SpecCode 57399) — https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Pateobatis-uarnacoides.html (CC BY-NC 3.0 — non-commercial use only). Accessed 2026-09-25.

Distribution and occurrence records (GBIF)

30 georeferenced occurrence records for Pateobatis uarnacoides are published through GBIF from 7 countries or marine areas. The map above plots 5 distinct locations from a sample of 30 records, omitting 11 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: Bangladesh (9); Malaysia (9); Thailand (4); Indonesia (3); Viet Nam (2); India (1); Singapore (1).

Source: GBIF Occurrence Search (taxonKey 9566320) — https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=9566320&has_coordinate=true (records CC0 / CC BY); WoRMS distribution records (MarineRegions) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1043412 (CC BY 4.0); Natural Earth 110m basemap — https://www.naturalearthdata.com/ (public domain). Accessed 2026-09-25.

Conservation status (IUCN Red List)

The IUCN Red List assesses Pateobatis uarnacoides (Bleeker, 1852) as Endangered (code EN). 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 161547) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/161547/0; GBIF IUCN Red List category endpoint (taxonKey 9566320) — https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/9566320/iucnRedListCategory. Accessed 2026-09-25.

Description and natural history (Wikipedia)

This species was first described by the Dutch ichthyologist Pieter Bleeker in 1852. He was an army surgeon who worked for 20 years for the Dutch East India Company in Indonesia, amassing a collection of over 12,000 fish which he took home with him when he returned to Holland. They are mostly lodged in the Natural History Museum in Leiden.

The whitenose whipray is found in the eastern Indian Ocean and the western central Pacific Ocean, its range extending from India to Malaysia and Indonesia; it is a demersal fish and is usually found over soft substrates in water that is shallower than 30 m, including the lower reaches of rivers and estuaries. One individual was found in a saltwater lagoon.

The species is caught in large quantities by bottom trawling, demersal tangle netting, trammel netting, and Danish seine fishing in India, Malaysia, and Indonesia. The flesh is consumed fresh or preserved by salting and drying, and the cartilage (vertebrae) is dried and exported to the Far East. The skins are dried and used in the manufacture of galuchat bags, wallets, belts, and shoes.

This demersal whipray is threatened by overexploitation, as it is fished intensively over much of its range. In Indonesia, fishing vessels must travel for much greater distances to find acceptable quantities of fish. In India, too, where it is heavily fished, the catch rate is also declining from overfishing, as well as pollution and coastal degradation. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed this fish as "endangered".

Source: Wikipedia: Whitenose whipray — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitenose_whipray (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-25.