Common name(s)

Arabian Banded Whipray.

Identification

A medium sized whipray with a vaguely kite-shaped disc that is slightly wider than long; disc width approximately 1-1.1 x length. Head relatively large. Snout elongate and acutely angular at tip. Anterior margins of disc weakly concave. Pectoral fin apices narrowly rounded. Pelvic fins wide.
Eyes small and somewhat protruding. Snout length 2.1-2.4 x combined eye and spiracle length.
Mouth narrow and arched; containing 2 central oral papillae. Prominent labial furrows and folds around mouth. Lower jaw sinuous; mildly convex but concave at symphysis. Posterior margin of skirt-shaped nasal curtain finely fringed.
Well developed sub-oval denticle band on disc. 1-2 mid-shoulder denticles; oval to heart-shaped. No other enlarged denticles or thorns present on midline. Tail long and slender, tapering gently to tail sting, then filamentous to tip. Tail length (when intact) less than 1.8-2.4 x disc width. Caudal finfolds absent. One tail sting usually present. Tail covered in denticles.

Colour

Dorsum greenish-grey to tan or brownish. Ventrum white. Tail beyond caudal sting black; sharply demarcated from anterior colour. Tail banded in young.

Size

Maximum disc width at least 62cm. Disc width at birth 15-17cm.

Habitat

Tropical seas. On sand and mud, sometimes adjacent to reefs. From shallow estuaries to at least 60m.

Distribution

Arabian Gulf endemic.