''Pateobatis bleekeri'', commonly known as Bleeker's whipray, is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...

stingray Stingrays are a group of sea rays, which are cartilaginous fish related to sharks. They are classified in the suborder Myliobatoidei of the order Myliobatiformes and consist of eight families: Hexatrygonidae (sixgill stingray), Plesiobatid ...

in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Dasyatidae native to the Indian Ocean, where it is found in shallow coastal waters. This species was named in honour of Dutch ichthyologist

Pieter Bleeker Pieter Bleeker (10 July 1819 – 24 January 1878) was a Dutch medical doctor, ichthyologist, and herpetologist. He was famous for the ''Atlas Ichthyologique des Indes Orientales Néêrlandaises'', his monumental work on the fishes of East Asia ...

in 1860. It has previously been considered a synonym of the

Whitenose whipray The whitenose whipray (''Pateobatis uarnacoides'') is a species of stingray in the family Dasyatidae native to the eastern Indian Ocean and the western central Pacific Ocean, where it is found in shallow water including estuaries. This species ...

, but has now been resurrected as a valid species.

Distribution and habitat

This whipray is found in the northern Indian Ocean, its range extending from Pakistan to Myanmar; it is a

demersal fish Demersal fish, also known as groundfish, live and feed on or near the bottom of seas or lakes (the demersal zone).Walrond Carl . "Coastal fish - Fish of the open sea floor"Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Updated 2 March 2009 They o ...

and is usually found over soft substrates in water that is shallower than .

References

Pateobatis Taxa named by Edward Blyth Fish described in 1860 {{Chondrichthyes-stub