Spiny butterfly ray (Gymnura altavela) is a saltwater, brackish species recorded in the United States. It is found at depths of 5–100 m.
Scientific name: Gymnura altavela · Water: Saltwater, Brackish
Size: up to 400 cm
The spiny butterfly ray is a demersal gymnurid that occurs over sand and mud, recorded from 5 to 100 m, and it also enters brackish water. It feeds on fishes, crustaceans, mollusks and plankton, and it is ovoviviparous, with a gestation lasting about six months and four to seven embryos produced per female. Maximum length is about 400 cm, a figure for which FishBase does not state the basis, and it commonly reaches about 200 cm disc width. It is a minor commercial species and a gamefish, with a high price category. Fishing vulnerability is moderate at 43 of 100 and resilience very low, and climate vulnerability is high at 60 of 100. IUCN lists it as endangered.
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