Taxonomy
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Chondrichthyes
- Order
- Lamniformes
- Family
- Dasyatidae
- Genus
- Taeniura
- Species
- lymma
Habitat
This ray inhabits shallow coral reefs, sandy flats, and lagoon areas in the Indo-Pacific region, typically at depths of 1 to 30 meters. It prefers warm tropical waters with abundant hiding spots among corals and rocks.
Diet
It primarily feeds on bottom-dwelling invertebrates such as mollusks, crustaceans, and worms, using its disc to pin down prey and its mouth to crush shells. Feeding occurs mainly at night when the ray is most active on the seafloor.
Behavior
Blue-spotted ribbontail rays are generally solitary and nocturnal, spending the day buried in sand to avoid predators and emerging at night to forage. They exhibit territorial behavior around feeding areas and can deliver a painful sting if threatened, but they are not aggressive toward humans.
Conservation Status
Listed as Near Threatened by IUCN.