To see photographs of the Blotched Fantail Ray (Taeniura meyeni) click here.
Blotched Fantail Ray (Taeniura meyeni)
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protected: © 2002 Kelvin Aitken.
All rights reserved. Students may use this information for personal research
only. Not for commercial use.
The common name for the Blotched Fantail Ray (Taeniura meyeni)
comes from its coloration and tail flap. The upper surface is a pattern
of black, grey and white spots and blotches which ends abruptly at the
edges of the circular-shaped body. The pattern continues along the tail
to the one or two spines where the colour changes to black or dark grey.
The very edges of the body disc are white like the belly. From the spine
to the pointed tip a flap of skin runs along the underside of the tail.
This ray has a broad international distribution but in Australia it lives
throughout the coastal waters of the northern tropics. It is common on
coral reefs where it feeds on bottom-dwelling animals. While the Blotched
Fantail Ray is approachable and at times curious, it should be treated
with respect; at least one human fatality has been attributed to this
ray.