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Porcupine Ray
Urogymnus asperrimus (Bloch & Schneider, 1801)
A Porcupine Ray at a depth of 10 m, off Cairns, Queensland, February 2007. Photo © B. Carter. View larger image.
The Porcupine Ray has an oval-shaped disc that is covered with plate-like tenticles and sharp thorns. The tail lacks stinging spines and skin folds. The fish is brown to grey above and white below. The tail tip is dark.
It grows to at least 1 m in disc width.
The species occurs in tropical inshore waters of Eastern Atlantic and the Indo-west and Central Pacific.
In Australia it is known from off north-western Western Australia, around the tropical north of the country and south on the east coast to the central coast of Queensland.
It is a benthic species that is usually found on sandy or rubbly seabeds.
It has also been called the Roughskin Stingaree, Rough-skinned Ray, Solander’s Ray and Thorny Ray.
Related links
- View the Family Dasyatidae list
- View the Rays list
Further reading
- Hoese, D.F., Bray, D.J., Paxton, J.R. & G.R. Allen. 2006. Fishes. In Beesley, P.L. & A. Wells. (eds) Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Volume 35. ABRS & CSIRO Publishing: Australia. parts 1-3, pages 1-2178.
- Last, P.R. & J.D. Stevens. 1994. Sharks and Rays of Australia. CSIRO. Pp. 513.
- Last, P.R. & Compagno, L.J.V. 1999. Dasyatidae in Carpenter, K.E. & V.H. Niem (Eds). FAO Species Identification Guide for Fishery Purposes. The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. Volume 3. Batoid fishes, chimaeras and bony fishes part 1 (Elopidae to Linophrynidae). FAO, Rome. Pp. iii-vi, 1398-2068.
