Urolophidae

Butterfly stingaree

Urolophus papilio

Skirt shaped flap between nostrils

• Regional distribution
• Marine fish
• Pacific Ocean
• Other
• Medium

The butterfly stingaree (Urolophus papilio) is a little-known species of stingray in the family Urolophidae, endemic to the continental slope off the Chesterfield Islands. This species is characterized by a diamond-shaped pectoral fin disc much wider than long, and a rather short tail terminating in a leaf-shaped caudal fin, as well as bearing a dorsal fin and sometimes indistinct lateral skin folds. There is a skirt-shaped flap of skin between its nostrils.