Dasyatidae

Blackedge whipray

Himantura marginata

Black ventral margins pair with star based dorsal thorns

• Black
• Tropical
• Regional distribution
• Indian Ocean
• Africa
• South Asia
• Southeast Asia
• Large
• Tropical fish

The blackedge whipray (Himantura marginata) is a little-known species of stingray in the family Dasyatidae, found in the coastal waters of the Bay of Bengal and the Gulf of Mannar. Attaining a disc width of 1.8 m (5.9 ft), this species has a diamond-shaped disc with two small concavities on either side of the snout tip, and a long, whip-like tail without tail folds. It is characterized by large thorns with star-shaped bases scattered over the disc, and by the wide, black marginal bands on the underside of the disc.