[1] Growing to 30 cm (12 in) across, this species has a rounded pectoral fin disc with a pointed snout, and a wide band of dermal denticles over the back in adults.

It closely resembles and is often confused for the much larger daisy stingray (F. margarita); both species are characterized by the presence of an enlarged, nacreous denticle in the middle of the back called a "pearl spine".

This bottom-dwelling species inhabits shallow, coastal marine and brackish waters, and has been reported from lagoons and estuaries, including the mouth of the Congo River.

The blunt, ridged teeth are arranged into pavements with a quincunx pattern; those of adult males are longer than those of females, but are not pointed.

[4][6] The tail is broad and flattened at the base and becomes thin and whip-like past the (usually) single, slender stinging spine on the upper surface.

There is a medium-sized oval pearl spine in the middle of the back; rays over 13–14 cm (5.1–5.5 in) across also gain a band of small, heart-shaped or flattened circular dermal denticles covering the median third of the disc, from between the eyes to the base of the tail.

[6] Despite its small size, the pearl stingray is probably taken by "catch-all" commercial fisheries operating in coastal waters off Senegal, Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, and elsewhere, using longlines, bottom trawls, and trammel nets.