text: whipray the reticulate whipray or honeycomb stingray ( himantura uarnak ) is a species of stingray in the family dasyatidae . it inhabits coastal and brackish waters across the indo - pacific region from south africa to taiwan to australia , favoring sandy habitats . a large species reaching 2 m ( 6 . 6 ft ) in width , the reticulate whipray has a diamond - shaped pectoral fin disc and an extremely long tail without fin folds . both its common and scientific names refer to its ornate dorsal color pattern of many small , close - set dark spots or reticulations on a lighter background . however , the reticulate whipray is only one of several large spotted stingrays in the indo - pacific which , coupled with the variability of its coloration with age and locality , has resulted in a great deal of taxonomic confusion . often encountered resting on the bottom during daytime , the reticulate whipray is a predator of bottom - dwelling invertebrates and bony fishes . like other stingrays , it is aplacental viviparous , with the developing embryos nourished at first by yolk and later by histotroph ( " uterine milk " ) . females bear litters of up to five pups in summer , following a gestation period of a year . the reticulate whipray is fished in southeast asia and parts of the indian ocean for meat , skin , cartilage , and other purposes . it is highly susceptible to population depletion because of its large size , inshore habits , and low reproductive rate , and is additionally threatened by extensive habitat degradation . consequently , the international union for conservation of nature ( iucn ) has assessed this species as vulnerable . taxonomy and phylogeny in 1775 , carsten niebuhr published animalium – avium , amphibiorum , , , : in , the work of his late friend , the swedish naturalist peter forsskål . within forsskål had described raja , now commonly known as the stingray , with a spotted variant he called uarnak , derived from an arabic word that describes the color pattern . no type specimen was designated . forsskål 's account formed the basis for two subsequent writings that named the spotted ray as a distinct species : pierre joseph bonnaterre 's raia in 1788 , and johann friedrich gmelin 's raja uarnak in 1789 . although bonnaterre 's name was published first and thus would have had precedence , later authorities have regarded forsskål 's uarnak as the earliest available name even though it was not initially part of a binomial . consequently , modern sources give uarnak as the valid specific epithet and either gmelin or forsskål as the species authority . in 1837 , johannes peter müller and friedrich gustav jakob henle included the reticulate whipray in the newly created genus himantura ; david starr jordan and barton warren made it the type species in 1896 . the reticulate whipray is closely related to h. undulata and h. leoparda , which share much of its range . all three species are very similar in size , shape , and color pattern , resulting in a long history of taxonomic confusion that only recently is starting to be untangled . in 2004 , mabel manjaji described the ' uarnak ' species complex , containing h. fai , h. , h. jenkinsii , h. leoparda , h. toshi , h. uarnak , and h. undulata , plus three more undescribed species . the reticulate whipray itself varies in appearance throughout its range , and further taxonomic comparisons are required to determine whether its spotted and reticulated color morphs in fact represent different species . alternate common names for this ray include coachwhip ray , leopard stingray , longtail stingray , and marbled stingray ; some of these names are shared by other , similar species . description the pectoral fin disc of the reticulate whipray is diamond - shaped and wider than long , with the leading margins almost straight and the snout and outer corners angular . in juveniles , the disc is about as wide as long , with a more obtuse snout and rounded corners . the eyes are small and immediately followed by the spiracles ( paired respiratory openings ) . a short and wide curtain of skin with a minutely fringed rear margin is present between the long , thin nostrils . the mouth is relatively small , with a deep concavity at the center of the lower jaw and shallow furrows at the corners extending onto the lower jaw . a row of 4 – 5 papillae ( nipple - like structures ) is found across the floor of the mouth . there are 26 – 40 upper tooth rows and 27 – 44 lower tooth rows . the pelvic fins are small and triangular . the tail is whip - like and extremely thin , measuring 3 – 3 . 5 times as long as the disc when intact , and lacks fin folds . usually one serrated stinging spine is located on the upper surface on the tail , some distance from the base . adult rays have a wide band of flattened , heart - shaped dermal denticles that extend from between the eyes to the tail spine , increasing in density with age , along with two large pearl thorns at the center of the back . the tail behind the spine is covered by small thorns . the dorsal band of denticles is largely developed by the time the juveniles are 50 cm ( 20 in ) across . the coloration of the reticulate whipray varies substantially with age and locality . adults generally have a dorsal pattern of numerous closely spaced dark brown spots or reticulations on a beige to yellow - brown background , which becomes blackish past the spine with lighter bands on the sides . the underside is pale , without markings . juveniles are yellowish above with tiny , densely packed dark spots , around seven spots in a line between the spiracles , and three rows of spots in front of the sting . this large species has been reported to reach a disc width of 2 m ( 6 . 6 ft ) , a total length of 6 m ( 20 ft ) , and a weight of 120 kg ( 260 lb ) . distribution and habitat the reticulate whipray occurs widely in the indo - pacific , with a range extending from off eastern south africa to the arabian peninsula , westward along the coast of the indian subcontinent to southeast asia , and reaching as far as taiwan and the ryukyu islands to the north , and new guinea and northern australia to the southeast . it has also colonized the eastern mediterranean sea through the suez canal . this species seems to be common only in australian waters , where it occurs from shark bay to brisbane . bottom - dwelling in nature , the reticulate whipray is generally encountered over sandy flats near beaches , in lagoons , and around coral reefs , from the intertidal zone to offshore waters 50 m ( 160 ft ) deep or more . in shark bay , it frequents intertidal sand flats during the warm season , and shifts to slightly deeper seagrass patches in the cold season . this species is tolerant of low salinities and has been known to enter estuaries and mangrove swamps , though records from fresh water in southeast asia are unverified and may represent misidentifications . its preferred water temperatures are 23 – 26 ° c ( 73 – 79 ° f ) . biology and ecology during the day , the reticulate whipray is generally inactive and spends much time resting motionless on the sea floor , sometimes buried in sand . in shark bay , western australia , this ray can be found resting singly or in small groups in very shallow water during high tide . its lateral line extends to the tip of its extremely long tail , giving it advance warning of approaching predators such as bottlenose dolphins ( tursiops aduncus ) and hammerhead sharks ( sphyrna ) . the stingray ( ) prefers to rest with the reticulate whipray over others of its own species , because the whiprays ' longer tails grant them superior predator detection . these mixed - species groups often settle into a " rosette " with their tails pointing radially outward for maximum predator awareness . the reticulate whipray preys on a variety of benthic and neritic organisms , including crabs , shrimps , mantis shrimps , bivalves , gastropods , worms , jellyfish , and bony fishes . in the western indian ocean , about two - thirds of its diet consists of fishes , in particular and anchovies , with shrimps and other crustaceans making up most of the remainder . by contrast , rays in australian waters are apparently not piscivorous , and are known to consume penaeid prawns . known parasites of this species include , dendromonocotyle , macrocephalus , monocotyle , m. multiparous , and m. , , and tylocephalum . like other stingrays , the reticulate whipray is aplacental viviparous : the developing embryos are initially sustained by yolk , which is later supplanted by histotroph ( " uterine milk " , enriched with proteins and lipids ) produced by the mother . females give birth to up to five pups in the summer , after a year - long gestation period . off south africa , the newborns measure 28 – 30 cm ( 11 – 12 in ) across and sexual maturation is attained at a disc width of approximately 1 m ( 3 . 3 ft ) , which corresponds to an age of 4 - 5 . off australia , the newborns measure 21 – 28 cm ( 8 . 3 – 11 . 0 in ) across , with males reported to mature at 82 – 84 cm ( 32 – 33 in ) across . the juveniles of this species , h. leoparda , and h. undulata differ in birth size , disc shape , denticle development , and amount of spotting , and are in fact more distinct from each other than are adults of the three species . shark bay may serve as a nursery area for young rays . human interactions the reticulate whipray fights strongly on hook - and - line and is thus popular with recreational anglers , who usually release it alive . this species is caught by intensive artisanal and commercial fisheries operating in southeast asia and parts of the indian ocean , using bottom trawls , gillnets and tangle nets , beach seines , and longlines . in particular , it is caught in substantial numbers by an indonesian trawl fishery targeting wedgefishes in the arafura sea . the meat , skin , and cartilage are utilized , though this species is not a highly valued food fish . it also has applications in chinese medicine , and its tail may be sold as a curio . the international union for conservation of nature ( iucn ) has listed the reticulate whipray as vulnerable . its large size , inshore habitat preferences , and slow reproductive rate render it susceptible to overfishing . although specific data is lacking , significant declines in overall ray catches have been documented within its range , including in the gulf of thailand , the arafura sea , and off pakistan . habitat degradation also threatens this species : over 30 % of the mangroves in indonesia and malaysia have been cleared since 1980 , while pollution and destructive fishing practices may have also taken their toll . australian waters offer the reticulate whipray a refuge from fishing pressure , as there it is not targeted commercially and the installation of turtle exclusion devices ( teds ) have reduced bycatch mortality . however , there are indications of increasing illegal fishing in australian territory by indonesian vessels .