[4] Smith's original account also described this species as occurring in brackish water at the mouth of the Old Calabar, but if the pincushion ray is euryhaline this has yet to be corroborated by modern records.

The tail is whip-like with a narrow fin fold underneath, measuring some three times longer than the body in juveniles and becoming relatively shorter with age.

[2][3] Newborn pincushion rays have smooth skin; older fish develop numerous large, thorny dermal denticles over the upper surface of the body and tail.

[2] According to Smith's original account, the pincushion ray defends itself by striking with its thorn-covered tail, inflicting "severe and even dangerous wounds".

Given that it lives in a heavily populated region, this species may have been over-exploited by intensive artisan fishing; Smith noted that it was considered to be a "great delicacy" by the locals, and hunted with barbed spears.

The rarity of this species, and the substantial threats it may face, has led the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to assess it as Critically Endangered.