The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is an inventory of the global conservation status and extinction risk of biological species. A series of Regional Red Lists, which assess the risk of extinction to species within a political management unit, are also produced by countries and organizations.
The guitarfish, also referred to as shovelnose rays, are a family, Rhinobatidae, of rays. The guitarfish are known for an elongated body with a flattened head and trunk and small, ray-like wings. The combined range of the various species is tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate waters worldwide.
The shovelnose guitarfish, Pseudobatos productus, is a ray in the family Rhinobatidae. It becomes mature at an estimated seven to eight years old. Males are between 90–100 cm (35–39 in) long, while females are around 99 cm (39 in) at that age. The ray can live up to 11 years, and full-grown sizes are around 120 cm (47 in) for males, and females reach 137 cm (54 in). They range from central California south to the Gulf of California. Morphological and genetic variations occur in the mitochondrial DNA in those found in the Gulf of California, evidencing their isolation from the rest. Because of this, the conservation of this species must be carefully managed to preserve the biological diversity. The shovelnose is considered to be a primitively developed ray, with many features of both sharks and rays.
The white-spotted guitarfish is a type of ray. It is found in the eastern Atlantic from the Gulf of Guinea to Angola. It reaches a length of approximately 75 cm.
Rhinobatos is a genus of fish in the Rhinobatidae family. Although previously used to encompass all guitarfishes, it was found to be polyphyletic, and recent authorities have transferred many species included in the genus to Acroteriobatus, Glaucostegus, and Pseudobatos.
The brown guitarfish is a species of fish in the Rhinobatidae family. It is found in western Pacific of Taiwan and the Philippines. Its natural habitats are open seas, shallow seas, coral reefs, and estuarine waters. The Taiwan guitarfish was formerly considered a distinct species, but is now considered a junior synonym.
The Brazilian guitarfish is a species of fish in the family Rhinobatidae. It is endemic to Brazil, where its natural habitat is coastal waters on the continental shelf. This fish is viviparous and has a long gestation period, concluding with the birth of live pups in February. At this time the fish are subject to intense fishing activity but catches have been dwindling in recent years as a result of overfishing. Because so few breeding-size fish remain, the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed the fish's conservation status as being "critically endangered".
The ringstreaked guitarfish is a species of fish in the Rhinobatidae family found in China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Its natural habitats are open seas, shallow seas, coral reefs, and estuarine waters.
The goldeneye shovelnose ray is a species of fish in the Rhinobatidae family. It is endemic to north-western Australia. Its natural habitat is open seas.
The Zanzibar guitarfish is a species of fish in the Rhinobatidae family endemic to Tanzania. Its natural habitats are open seas and shallow seas.
The common guitarfish is a species of cartilaginous fish in the family Rhinobatidae. It is native to the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. It is a bottom-dwelling fish feeding on crustaceans, other invertebrates and fish. The females give birth to live young. Its lifestyle makes it vulnerable to trawling and other fishing methods, populations seem to be declining and it has disappeared from parts of its range.
Rhinobatos annandalei, or Annandale's guitarfish, is a type of ray in the family Rhinobatidae. It is found in the Indian Ocean around India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and possibly the Persian Gulf. It is predominantly found in the marine waters, but also enters the brackish waters and freshwater rivers as well. It reaches a length of approximately 56 centimetres (22 in). Annandale's guitarfish are ovoviviparous fishes.
The blackchin guitarfish is a species of cartilaginous fish in the family Rhinobatidae. It is native to the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. It is a bottom-dwelling fish feeding on crustaceans, other invertebrates and fish. The females give birth to live young. Its lifestyle makes it vulnerable to trawling and other fishing methods, populations seem to be declining and it is subject to intensive fishing pressure, with its fins being sold into the Asian market. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being "critically endangered".
Pseudobatos is a genus of fish in the Rhinobatidae family. Although its constituent species were previously assigned to Rhinobatos, recent authors treat it as distinct.
The Philippine guitarfish, known formally as Rhinobatos whitei, is a critically endangered species of cartilaginous fish in the genus Rhinobatos. The species has been documented in the Pacific Ocean near the Philippines, and fully-grown adults can reach a maximum length of ~72 centimetres (28 in).
