Bluespotted Ribbontail Ray

Taeniura lymma

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Elasmobranchii
Order: Myliobatiformes
Family: Dasyatidae
Genus: Taeniura
Species: Taeniura lymma

The bluespotted ribbontail ray (Taeniura lymma), also called the bluespotted lagoon ray, is a small stingray about 30 cm across with an oval, yellowish-brown disc covered in bright blue spots. Its tail carries two blue stripes along the sides and one or two venomous spines.

It rests under coral ledges and in crevices during the day, often with only its tail sticking out, and moves onto sand flats with the rising tide to feed on worms, shrimps, crabs and small fish. It should not be confused with the blue-spotted maskray, which has a more diamond-shaped disc and a dark mask across the eyes.

In the Philippines it is common on shallow coral reefs across the archipelago and is a familiar sight for divers and snorkellers peering under table corals and ledges.

Photo: Dirk Froebel, CC BY 4.0, via iNaturalist