Gymnura australis ( Ramsay & Ogilby, 1886 )

Jacobsen, Ian P. & Bennett, Mike B., 2009, A Taxonomic Review of the Australian Butterfly Ray Gymnura australis (Ramsay & Ogilby, 1886) and Other Members of the family Gymnuridae (Order Rajiformes) from the Indo-West Pacific., Zootaxa 2228, pp. 1-28 : 11

Gymnura australis ( Ramsay & Ogilby, 1886)

Australian Butterfly Ray

Fig. 1–8 ; Tables 1–4 .

Figures

FIGURE 1. The Australian Butterfly Ray Gymnura australis var eastern Australia collected from Moreton Bay, southeast Queensland, mature male 373 mm DW (QM I 38138); (a) dorsal view; (b) ventral view.

FIGURE 2. Tail morphological variation in Gymnura australis var eastern Australia; (a) dorsal view; (b) lateral view, no dorsal fin; (c) lateral view, with dorsal fin; (d) tail base, no dorsal fin; (e) tail base, with dorsal fin; (a), (b) and (d) (QM I 38138) (c) and (e) (QM I 38169).

FIGURE 3. Tail morphology of Gymnura australis var northern Australia (QM I 38140); (a) dorsal view; (b) lateral view; (c) tail base.

FIGURE 4. Geographical distribution of Gymnura australis var eastern Australia (open circles) and G. australis var northern Australia (closed circle). Star denotes Moreton Bay, south-east Queensland.

FIGURE 5. Ventral head view of the Australian Butterfly Ray Gymnura australis var eastern Australia collected from Moreton Bay, south-east Queensland, mature male 373 mm DW (QM I 38138).

FIGURE 6. Gymnura australis; scanning electron micrographs, 730 mm DW female (a) - (c) upper anterolateral teeth; (d) - (f) lower anterolateral teeth. Upper anterolateral teeth from near symphysis in: (a) labial; (b) lingual; (c) dorso-lateral view. Lower anterolateral teeth from near symphysis in: (d) labial; (e) lingual; (f) dorso-lateral view. Photos by C. Glen.

FIGURE 7. Claspers of Gymnura australis; 532 mm DW adult male: (a) dorsal view; (b) clasper skeleton, dorsal view; (c) clasper skeleton, ventral view. Abbreviations: at: accessory terminal cartilage; ax: axial cartilage; β: beta cartilage; b 1: first intermediate cartilage; b 2: second intermediate cartilage; bt: basipterygium; crh: cover rhipidion; cg: clasper groove; dm: dorsal marginal cartilage; dt 1: dorsal terminal 1 cartilage; dt 2: dorsal terminal 2 cartilage; erh: exorhipidion; P- 2: pelvic fin; ps: pseudosiphon; rh: rhipidion; ta: tail; vm: ventral marginal cartilage; vt: ventral terminal cartilage. Illustrations by I. P. Jacobsen.

FIGURE 8. Non-metric multidimensional scaling (MDS) ordination of Gymnuridae morphometric percentages (a) intraspecific comparisons between G. australis var eastern Australia and G. australis var northern Australia; (b) intra- and interspecific comparisons between G. zonura morphs (with and without a dorsal fin) and G. japonica; (c) interspecific comparisons of Indo-West Pacific Gymnuridae.