Smooth butterfly ray
| Smooth butterfly ray | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Chondrichthyes |
| Order: | Myliobatiformes |
| Family: | Gymnuridae |
| Genus: | Gymnura |
| Species: | G. micrura |
| Binomial name | |
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Gymnura micrura (Bloch & J. G. Schneider, 1801) |
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The smooth butterfly ray (Gymnura micrura) is a species of cartilaginous fish in the Gymnuridae family. It is a member of the Order Myliobatiformes, which contains 10 total families. Its natural habitats are shallow seas, subtidal aquatic beds, estuarine waters, and coastal saline lagoons. Its common name is derived from its compressed body, pectoral fins that are wider than their length, and overall diamond shape.
Gymnura is derived from Greek roots and translates into 'naked tail'. They belong to a monophyletic group of Batoid fish. This group contains over 500 other elasmobranch fishes which includes electric rays, sawfishes, guitarfishes, skates, and stingrays. They are a part of Order Myliobatiformes and are characterized by their pectoral fins being widely expanded and fused to their heads. The family Gymnuridae contains 2 genera which encompass 12 different species.
These are broad diamond-shaped rays with a short tail that has low dorsal and ventral fin folds. The tail has 3 to 4 dark lines that are referred to as crossbars. The edges of the disc are concave. The caudal fin is never present and a variable number of tubercles can be found on larger specimens. The smooth butterfly rays have disc widths nearly twice the size of their body lengths and are very flat-bodied (compressed). The width of the rays are between 16 and 22 centimeters when they are born and are about 50 cm when mature for a female and about 42 cm for a male. Females are bigger than their male counterparts; this allows them to carry larger embryos and a greater abundance of embryos. They have a maximum size of 120 cm.
The ventral side is lightly colored while the dorsal side is variable in color. The ventral side is usually white but can contain a rusty or bronze coloration. The dorsal side can be grey, light green, brown, and also not uniform in color. They tend to use countershading to blend in with the bottom of their environments in order to hide from predators and to catch prey.
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Wikipedia