Description

The porcupine ray (Urogymnus asperrimus) is a rare species of stingray in the family Dasyatidae and the only member of its genus. This bottom-dweller is found throughout the tropical Indo-Pacific, as well as off West Africa. It favors sand, coral rubble, and seagrass habitats in inshore waters to a depth of 30 m (100 ft). A large and heavy-bodied species reaching 1.2

Fun Facts

The porcupine ray can sometimes be observed lying still on the bottom in the open or inside caves. It is known to form groups at Ningaloo Reef. Its diet consists primarily of sipunculids, polychaete worms, crustaceans, and bony fishes. When feeding it plows deeply into the bottom, expelling excess sediment from its spiracles in a plume visible from a long distance away. Parasites documented from this ray include the tapeworm Rhinebothrium devaneyi, the nematode Echinocephalus overstreeti, and the capsalid monogeneans Dendromonocotyle urogymni and Neoentobdella baggioi. The porcupine ray is aplacental viviparous, with the developing embryos sustained to term by histotroph ("uterine milk") secreted by the mother. Mangrove forests serve as important habitat for juvenile rays. Males and females mature sexually at about 90 and 100 cm (35 and 39 in) across respectively