Blue Spotted Stingray

Taeniura lymma

The bluespotted ribbontail ray is a stingray in the family Dasyatidae, common throughout the tropical Indian and western Pacific Oceans in nearshore, reef-associated habitats from the intertidal zone down to about 30 m. It stays fairly small, no more than 35 cm across, with a smooth, oval pectoral disc, large bulging eyes, and a comparatively short, thick tail carrying a deep fin fold along its underside.

Family

Dasyatidae

Avg Size

25-35 cm

Habitat

Widely distributed in shallow tropical Indo-Pacific waters, its range loops around the edge of the Indian Ocean from South Africa to the Arabian Peninsula and on to Southeast Asia, taking in Madagascar, Mauritius, Zanzibar, the Seychelles, Sri Lanka and the Maldives, though it is scarce in the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman. In the Pacific it ranges from the Philippines to northern Australia and across many Melanesian and Polynesian islands as far east as the Solomons.

Behaviour

One of the most abundant rays on Indo-Pacific reefs, it spends the day tucked alone inside caves or beneath coral ledges and other debris, often with just the tail exposed. As the tide rises at night, small groups move onto shallow sandy flats to feed, and unlike many stingrays this one rarely buries itself. It digs sand pits to find molluscs, polychaete worms, shrimps, crabs and small bottom-dwelling fish, pinning prey beneath its body and working it toward the mouth with the disc.

Where & When to See It

Daedalus Reef

Blue Spotted Stingray

Where & When to See It

More Rays & Mantas