Aetomylaeus nichofii (Bloch & Schneider, 1801)
Banded eagle ray
photo by Iranian Fisheries Research Organization (IFRO)

Family:  Myliobatidae (Eagle and manta rays)
Max. size:  65 cm WD (male/unsexed)
Environment:  demersal; brackish; marine; depth range 1 - 100 m, amphidromous
Distribution:  Indo-West Pacific: Persian Gulf to the Philippines, north to Korea and southern Japan, south to northern Australia. Possibly in the Red Sea and eastern and southern Africa. e Indo-West Pacific from the Persian/Arabian Gulf westwards to Indonesia, and north to Taiwan, China and southern Japan.
Diagnosis:  This small species of Aetomylaeus (reaching to about 72.0 cm DW) is distinguished by the following set of characters: dorsal surface is greyish brown with a series of usually 8 (sometimes 7) transverse pale bluish bands (which are sometimes faint), no dark spots or blotches; ventral surface is whitish, pectoral fins is dusky distally; tail is rather long (1.4-1.8 times DW); without stinging spine; short and narrow head; fleshy rostral lobe, relatively broad, short, with a rounded apex; teeth usually in 7 rows in each jaw, with a broad median row flanked by 3 smaller rows on each side; dorsal-fin origin level with pelvic-fin insertions; radials of pectoral-fin 84-88 (excluding concealed propterygial radials anterior of eyes); total vertebral centra (including synarcual) 83-93; males have 16-19 pelvic radials (excluding clasper); females have 20 or 21 pelvic radials (Ref. 103981).
Biology:  Maximum depth reported taken from Ref. 9773.
IUCN Red List Status: Vulnerable (VU); Date assessed: 10 October 2015 (A2bd) Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  harmless


Source and more info: www.fishbase.org. For personal, classroom, and other internal use only. Not for publication.