Smooth butterfly ray

Gymnura micrura

Sharks and rays
IUCN: Near threatened

Usual depth12–54 m
Water temperature15–28 °C
Best monthsSeptember and October
How commonOccasional

Photo credit: (c) Tomas Willems & Hans Hillewaert, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · CC BY-SA · iNaturalist

About this species

The smooth butterfly ray is a species of cartilaginous fish in the family Gymnuridae. It is a member of the order Myliobatiformes, which contains 10 total families. Its natural habitats are shallow seas, subtidal aquatic beds, estuarine waters, and coastal saline lagoons. Its common name is derived from its compressed body, pectoral fins that are wider than their length, and overall diamond shape.

Text from the Wikipedia article “Smooth butterfly 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: 3 records
February: 5 records
March: 24 records
April: 27 records
May: 28 records
June: 8 records
July: 53 records
August: 16 records
September: 170 records
October: 227 records
November: 15 records
December: 3 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 12–54 m · Deepest record: 92 m

0–10 m: 10 records
10–20 m: 141 records
20–30 m: 117 records
30–40 m: 109 records
40–50 m: 81 records
50–60 m: 49 records
60–70 m: 22 records
70–80 m: 5 records
80–90 m: 5 records
90–100 m: 3 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 15–28 °C

14–16 °C: 20 records
16–18 °C: 100 records
18–20 °C: 9 records
20–22 °C: 11 records
22–24 °C: 13 records
24–26 °C: 9 records
26–28 °C: 8 records
28–30 °C: 4 records

Names and classification

English: Smooth butterfly ray, smooth butterfly ray

Names in 3 more languages

Spanish: raya cola de rata, Raya guayanesa, Raya mariposa, Rayamariposa Menor
French: Raie-papillon glabre
Japanese: トゲナシツバクロエイ

Other scientific names: Gymnura micura, Pteroplatea micrura, Raja micrura

Similar species

Australian Butterfly Ray
Gymnura australis
Longtail Butterfly Ray
Gymnura poecilura
Japanese butterflyray
Gymnura japonica
Zonetail Butterfly Ray
Gymnura zonurus

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).
1,152 open-data records from 1801 to 2014.
Species data updated November 3, 2026.

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