DASYATIDAE


Himantura jenkinsii
(photo by Mark Strickland)


Himantura jenkinsii
(Annadale, 1909)
Jenkinfs Whipray

Disc rhomboidal, trunk thickened; pectoral-fin apex broadly rounded. Snout broadly triangular; anterior margin almost straight, with an extended lobe-like tip. Tail slender, whip-like, somewhat short, slightly longer than disc width, with 1-3 venomous spines (stings) and no dermal folds. Mouth moderately broad, with 4 papillae on floor (central 2 not greatly enlarged). Denticles on center of disc very closely spaced; enlarged spear-shaped thorn along midline of disc and anterior tail. Color: disc brownish or yellowish dorsally, white ventrally; tail uniformly brownish or grayish, not banded. Size: maximum length about 2 m, maximum disc width at least 104 cm. Distribution: widely distributed in tropical Indo- West Pacific, from South Africa to Australia. Remarks: inhabits inshore waters, occurring on sandy bottoms.