This species is valued by commercial and recreational fishers in many parts of its range, and utilized for meat, gelatin, oil, and even the aquarium trade.

Marcgrave's account formed the basis for this species' formal scientific description as Raja guttata, by later German naturalists Marcus Elieser Bloch and Johann Gottlob Schneider in their 1801 Systema Ichthyologiae.

[4] The longnose stingray can be found in regions ranging from the southern Gulf of Mexico southward to the Brazilian state of Paraná, including the Greater and Lesser Antilles.

[6] The longnose stingray has a diamond-shaped pectoral fin disc slightly wider than long, with outer corners forming approximately right angles and gently concave anterior margins converging to an obtuse, moderately projecting snout.

There are 34–46 tooth rows in the upper jaw; the teeth have tetragonal bases and blunt crowns in females and juveniles and sharp, pointed cusps in mature males.

The coloration is olive, brown, or gray above, sometimes with darker spots, and yellowish to white below; the keel and fin fold on the tail are black.

[1] Known parasites of the longnose stingray include the tapeworms Rhinebothrium margaritense and Rhodobothrium pulvinatum,[11] the isopods Excorallana tricornis and Rocinela signata,[12] and the monogenean Monocotyle guttatae.

The gestation period is 5–6 months long with vitellogenesis (yolk formation) occurring at the same time, such as that females can ovulate a new batch of ova and mate again immediately after giving birth.

[15] A known nursery area for this species occurs off the beaches of Caiçara do Norte in northeastern Brazil, where newborns and small juveniles have been reported from water no more than 3 m (9.8 ft) deep from February to October.

[1] The meat of its "wings" is highly esteemed and sold fresh, frozen, or salted; this ray is also utilized in the production of gelatin and high-quality oil, and at least five individuals were found in the Ceará aquarium trade from 1995 to 2000.