Family : Gymnuridae (Butterfly rays)
Order : Rajiformes  (skates and rays)
Class : Elasmobranchii (sharks and rays)
Fishbase Name : Smooth butterfly ray
Fish Name : Gymnura micrura
Max size : 137 cm WD (male/unsexed; Ref. 4439)
Environment : demersal ; depth range - 40 m
Climate : deep-water
Global Importance : fisheries: minor commercial
Resilience: Very low, minimum population doubling time more than 14 years (Fec assumed to be Distribution : Western Atlantic: Maryland, USA to Brazil. Also Gulf of Mexico and northern South America to Brazil (Ref. 26938). Eastern Atlantic: Senegal, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Cameroon and Democratic Republic of the Congo (to the mouth of Congo River) (Ref. 4439). Reported from Mauritania (Ref. 55783). Nominal records from off Sri Lanka, India, Malaysia, Singapore, Viet Nam, Borneo and Sumatra in Indonesia, and the Philippines need to be verified if indeed it is the same species that occurs in the Atlantic (Ref. 9918).
Diagnosis : Broad, diamond-shaped ray with a very short tail lacking a dorsal spine (Ref. 26938). Snout protruding. Front edges of disk concave. Tail with low dorsal and ventral finfolds and 3 - 4 dark crossbars (Ref. 7251). Upper surface gray, brown, light green or purple with round spots. Lower surface white (Ref. 6902).
Biology : Prefers neritic waters of the continental shelf and usually found on soft bottoms. May enter brackish estuaries or hyper-saline lagoons (Ref. 5217). Feeds on fish and shrimps (Ref. 28587). Ovoviviparous (Ref. 50449). Generally marketed salted (Ref. 5217)
Threatened : Dangerous:  
Dangerous : harmless
Coordinator : McEachran, John
Main Ref : McEachran, J.D. and B. Séret. 1990. (Ref. 4439)

India country information
Common Names : शीवता, തപ്പു ത്തിരണ്ടി, టెంకీ కుంసాల్ , టప్పు కూటి , பெரும் தீருக், താപ്പു തിരണ്ടി , டேப்பர் குட்டீ தீருக்கை, Diamond skate, Thappu thirandi
Status : questionable
Salinity : marine
Uses : no uses