California butterfly ray (Gymnura marmorata)

General data
- Main name: California butterfly ray
- Climates: Tropical, Subtropical
- Habitat: Saltwater
- Native: North America, South America
- Distribution: Pacific Ocean, Gulf of California
Classification
- Genus: Gymnura - Gymnura
- Family: Gymnuridae - Butterfly rays
- Order: Myliobatiformes - Stingrays
- Class: Elasmobranchii - Sharks and Rays
- Superclass: Chondrichthyes - Cartilaginous fishes
Description
The California butterfly ray (Gymnura marmorata) is a species of ray in the family Gymnuridae. It is found in Pacific ocean near the shores of America, in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, and the United States. Its natural habitats are shallow seas, subtidal aquatic beds, coral reefs, estuarine waters, intertidal marshes, and coastal saline lagoons. Has a small venom apparatus which has limited use as a defense organ. Maximum length reported to reach 150 cm