Banded Eagle Ray

Aetomylaeus nichofii

Sharks and rays
IUCN: Vulnerable

Usual depth2–5 m
Water temperature14–29 °C
Best monthsJanuary, March, and November
How commonRare

About this species

The banded eagle ray is a species of fish in the family Myliobatidae. The species was first described by Bloch and Schneider in 1801. As an elasmobranch, the banded eagle ray has a skeleton composed of cartilage. Like other eagle rays it has a depressiform, dorsoventrally flattened, shape to succeed in its benthic lifestyle. It preys mainly on benthic crustaceans, snails, and worms. Its natural habitats are open seas, shallow seas, and coral reefs. As of 2016, this species is classified as vulnerable by the IUCN. The main threats to the banded eagle ray are overfishing and habitat destruction.

Text from the Wikipedia article “Banded eagle ray”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article

Where and when

Where it has been recorded

Worldwide

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Best months

Worldwide (open data)

January: 17 records
February: 9 records
March: 21 records
April: 0 records
May: 7 records
June: 13 records
July: 0 records
August: 3 records
September: 3 records
October: 4 records
November: 20 records
December: 2 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 2–5 m · Deepest record: 52.5 m

0–10 m: 86 records
10–20 m: 0 records
20–30 m: 1 records
30–40 m: 1 records
40–50 m: 0 records
50–60 m: 1 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 14–29 °C

12–14 °C: 1 records
14–16 °C: 1 records
16–18 °C: 0 records
18–20 °C: 0 records
20–22 °C: 0 records
22–24 °C: 0 records
24–26 °C: 83 records
26–28 °C: 7 records
28–30 °C: 14 records

Names and classification

English: Banded Eagle Ray

Names in 2 more languages

Japanese: アオスジトビエイ
Simplified Chinese: 佛祖燕, 燕仔魴, 聶氏無刺鱝, 青帶圓吻燕魟, 飛魴仔, 魴仔

Other scientific names: Aetomylaeus huletti, Aetomylaeus nichofi, Aetomylaeus niehofii, Aetomyleus nichofii, Aetomylus huletti, Myliobates nieuhofii, Myliobatis nieuhofii, Myliobatis vultur, Raja fasciata, Raja nichofii, Raja niehofii, Raja nieuhowii

Similar species

Bull ray
Aetomylaeus bovinus
Blue-banded Eagle Ray
Aetomylaeus caeruleofasciatus
Mottled eagle ray
Aetomylaeus maculatus
Ocellate Eagle Ray
Aetomylaeus milvus
Ornate eagle ray
Aetomylaeus vespertilio

Sources and credits

Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).

Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
130 open-data records from 1801 to 2014.

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