Attaining a width of 40 cm (16 in), this species can be distinguished by its thin, almost circular pectoral fin disk, slightly projecting snout tip, and mostly smooth skin with small or absent dermal denticles.

It has been assessed as Critically Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), as its numbers are declining in some areas and it faces heavy fishing pressure and habitat degradation.

The original description of the Niger stingray was published by Alfred Stauch and M. Blanc in 1962, in the scientific journal Bulletin du Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle (Série 2).

[2] The ampullae of Lorenzini in this species are smaller and simpler than those of marine stingrays, reflecting the constraints imposed on electroreception by the freshwater environment.

[6] The Niger stingray feeds almost exclusively on the aquatic nymphs of mayflies, stoneflies, and caddisflies, rarely also taking true flies.

[4] The tail spine of the Niger stingray is potentially injurious to waders; it is known to the Hausa people as kunaman ruwa or "water scorpion".

[2] Historically it was most common in the Niger-Benue river system, though its numbers there are diminishing; the possible disappearance of this species from its type locality near Garoua was reported to have resulted from drought.

[4] The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has assessed this species as Critically Endangered, citing documented population declines and the possible negative effects of overfishing and habitat degradation.