 The reticulate whipray or honeycomb stingray ( Himantura uarnak ) is a species of stingray in the family Dasyatidae . It inhabits coastal and brackish waters across the Indo @-@ Pacific region from South Africa to Taiwan to Australia , favoring sandy habitats . A large species reaching 2 m ( 6 @.@ 6 ft ) in width , the reticulate whipray has a diamond @-@ shaped pectoral fin disc and an extremely long tail without fin folds . Both its common and scientific names refer to its ornate dorsal color pattern of many small , close @-@ set dark spots or reticulations on a lighter background . However , the reticulate whipray is only one of several large spotted stingrays in the Indo @-@ Pacific which , coupled with the variability of its coloration with age and locality , has resulted in a great deal of taxonomic confusion . 
