Confirmed sightings and potential range extension of the porcupine ray, Urogymnus asperrimus, in the central Pacific

Between July 2025 and February 2026, researchers documented the first confirmed sightings of the porcupine ray (Urogymnus asperrimus) in American Samoa. A single female was observed in a shallow, sandy reef on the southern coast of Tutuila. These observations represent a significant extension of the species’ known range, occurring nearly 800 km from its previously documented boundary in Fiji. Photograph by Sarah Head/NOAA.