Taeniurops meyeni (Müller & Henle, 1841)

Blotched Fantail Ray

Taeniura meyeni M̹ller & Henle, 1841: 172, pl. 55. Syntypes: MNHN 0000-2428, ZMB 4660. Type locality: Mauritius, Mascarenes .

Local synonymy: Taeniura melanospilus: Smith, 1952 g: 15, fig.; Smith, 1952d: 1020, pl. 38; Smith, 1955: 5; Smith, 1961a: 513, fig. 78a: Smith, 1965: 513, fig. 78a: Wallace, 1967c: 28, figs. 13–14; Compagno & Heemstra, 1984: 3; Compagno, 1986: 141, fig. 30.14; Compagno et al., 1989: 108, pl. Taeniurops meyeni: Compagno, 1999: 117; Heemstra & Heemstra, 2004: 84; Ebert & van Hees, 2015: 147; Last et al., 2016h: 357; Last et al., 2016i: 608, fig. 25.79; Weigmann, 2016: 977.

South Africa voucher material: SAIAB 7849, SAIAB 7886 [ex ORI B614], SAIAB 55036.

South African distribution: Along the KZN coast to the Mozambique border.

Remarks: A common, but very little known species occasionally caught by shore anglers and by offshore trawlers off KZN.

Conservation status: VU (2015).