Gymnura australis (Ramsay & Ogilby, 1886)

Australian Butterfly Ray

Pteroplatea australis Ramsay & Ogilby, 1886: 575 . Holotype: AMS A.9357. Type locality: Cape Hawke, New South Wales, Australia.

Local synonymy: Gymnura tentaculata— Filewood, 1973:11 (PNG). Aetoplatea tentaculata— Kailola, 1987: 31 (Gulf of Papua; Yule Island). Gymnura australis— Last & Stevens, 2009: 464 (New Guinea); Yokota et al., 2016: 513 (New Guinea); White et al., 2018: 224, figs (PNG).

PNG voucher material: (28 spec.) CSIRO H 7617-01, female 230 mm DW, southwest of Kerema, Gulf of Papua, 8°3’3.6” S, 145°37’52.2” E, 16 m depth, 15 Jun. 2014 ; CSIRO H 7806-01, adult male 430 mm DW, Freshwater Bay, Gulf of Papua, 8°9’ S, 145°58’37.8” E, 18 m depth, 15 Jun. 2014 ; CSIRO H 7815-01, female 580 mm DW, south of Deception Bay, Gulf of Papua, 8°0’58” S, 144°36’7” E, 22 m depth, 29 Nov. 2014 ; CSIRO H 7816-01, female 260 mm DW, south of Deception Bay, Gulf of Papua, 8°1’54” S, 144°38’58” E, 22–23 m depth, 30 Nov. 2014 ; CSIRO H 8005-01, juvenile male 280 mm DW, Freshwater Bay, Gulf of Papua, 8°12’37.38” S, 146°3’31.32” E, 15–18 m depth, 24 Aug. 2015 ; CSIRO H 8008-01, juvenile male 270 mm DW, Freshwater Bay, Gulf of Papua, 8°9’43.44” S, 145°59’30.12” E, 18–19 m depth, 25 Aug. 2015 ; KFRS E.286 (3 spec.), embryos 92– 94 mm DW, Yule Island, Central Province, Mar. 1966 ; KFRS E.381, adult male 369 mm TL, Yule Island, Central Province, 1 Dec. 1969 ; KFRS E.532 (4 spec.), 3 females 261–342 mm DW, 1 juvenile male 247 mm DW, no collection data [possibly part of lot KFRS E.110, 5 spec., Yule Island, Jun. 1964] ; KFRS E.603, juvenile male 240 mm DW, west of Avirara, Gulf of Papua, 8°19’30.24” S, 146°12’2.16” E, 10–11 m depth, 26 Aug. 2015 ; KFRS E.632, adult male 360 mm DW, west of Avirara, Gulf of Papua, 8°18’57.54” S, 146°12’4.2” E, 8–10 m depth, 26 Aug. 2015 ; KFRS E. 635, 440 mm DW, west of Avirara, Gulf of Papua, 8°19’44.22” S, 146°13’39.18” E, 10–11 m depth, 25 Aug. 2015 ; KFRS E.636, female 320 mm DW, west of Avirara, Gulf of Papua, 8°17’34.08” S, 146°10’34.92” E, 10–12 m depth, 25 Aug. 2015 ; KFRS E.673, juvenile male 260 mm DW, south of Deception Bay, Gulf of Papua, 8°1’54” S, 144°38’58” E, 22–23 m depth, 30 Nov. 2014 ; KFRS E.691, female 250 mm DW, south of Kerema, Gulf of Papua, 8°2’55.8” S, 145°44’57” E, 14–16 m depth, 19 Jun. 2014 ; KFRS E.708, juvenile male 280 mm DW, Freshwater Bay, Gulf of Papua, 8°5’24.6” S, 145°51’7.2” E, 13 m depth, 22 Jun. 2014 ; KFRS E.726, juvenile male 250 mm DW, south of Kerema, Gulf of Papua, 8°5’11.4” S, 145°47’10.8” E, 20 m depth, 11 Jun. 2014 ; KFRS E.727, male 320 mm DW, south of Kerema, Gulf of Papua, 8°4’33” S, 145°47’18” E, 16–19 m depth, 7 Jun. 2014 ; KFRS E.735, adult male 460 mm DW, Freshwater Bay, Gulf of Papua, 8°9’ S, 145°58’37.8” E, 18 m depth, 15 Jun. 2014 ; KFRS E.805, KFRS E.806, KFRS E.807, late-term embryos from 720 mm DW female, southwest of Kerema, Gulf of Papua, 8°5’28” S, 145°37’31” E, 18–23 m depth, 7 Apr. 2015 ; KFRS E.808, female 609 mm DW, Freshwater Bay, Gulf of Papua, 8°9’0” S, 145°58’37.8” E, 18 m depth, 15 Jun. 2014 .

Remarks: First recorded from PNG by Filewood (1973) as Gymnura tentaculata . Very common in the bycatch of the Gulf of Papua prawn trawl fishery; also observed in catches of the trap fishery at Wewak on the north coast during recent surveys.