Aetobatus narinari

White-spotted eagle ray
Aetobatus narinari
Aetobatus narinari, Belize, Photo: Rick Stuart-Smith

Distribution

Tropical Atlantic/Caribbean


Description

Formerly considered a single circum-global species, Atlantic and Indo-Pacific populations have been split, with this name now used for the species found in the Atlantic and Caribbean.


Information

Max Size: 330 cm

Sea Temperature Range: 20-31°C

Depth: 1-80m

Habitat Generalization Index: N/A

Also referred to as the SGI (Species Generalisation Index), this describes the habitat niche breadth of the species. Species with values less than 15 are found in a relatively narrow range of reef habitat types (specialists), while those over 25 may be found on most hard substrates within their range (generalists). Learn more here.


Conservation and Rarity

IUCN Status: Near Threatened

Occurrence: Rare (0.8% of sites)

Occurrence describes how often the species is found on surveys within its distribution. It is calculated as the % of reef sites surveyed by RLS divers across all the ecoregions in which the species has been observed

Abundance: Solitary (1 per transect)

Abundance is calculated as the average number of individuals recorded per RLS transect, where present.