Common shovelnose ray

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Common shovelnose ray
Glaucostegus typus.jpg
CITES Appendix II (CITES) [2]
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Chondrichthyes
Order: Rhinopristiformes
Family: Glaucostegidae
Genus: Glaucostegus
Species:
G. typus
Binomial name
Glaucostegus typus
(Anonymous, referred to E. T. Bennett, 1830) [3]
Synonyms
  • Glaucostegus microphthalmus(Teng, 1959)
  • Rhinobatos typusAnonymous [Bennett], 1830

The common shovelnose ray, giant shovelnose ray or giant guitarfish [1] (Glaucostegus typus) is a species of fish in the Rhinobatidae family found in the central Indo-Pacific, ranging from India to the East China Sea, Solomon Islands and northern Australia. [1] [3] [4] It is found in shallow coastal areas to a depth of at least 100 m (330 ft), including mangrove, estuaries and reportedly also in freshwaters. [1] [3] [4] It reaches up to 2.7 m (8.9 ft) in length, and is greyish-brown to yellowish-brown above with a paler snout. [4]

This species has been tested for colour vision using choice experiments that control for brightness. It was the first rigorous behavioural evidence for colour vision in any elasmobranch. [5]

Related Research Articles

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The whale shark is a slow-moving, filter-feeding carpet shark and the largest known extant fish species. The largest confirmed individual had a length of 18.8 m (61.7 ft). The whale shark holds many records for size in the animal kingdom, most notably being by far the largest living nonmammalian vertebrate. It is the sole member of the genus Rhincodon and the only extant member of the family Rhincodontidae, which belongs to the subclass Elasmobranchii in the class Chondrichthyes. Before 1984 it was classified as Rhiniodon into Rhinodontidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elasmobranchii</span> Subclass of fishes

Elasmobranchii is a subclass of Chondrichthyes or cartilaginous fish, including sharks, rays, skates, and sawfish. Members of this subclass are characterised by having five to seven pairs of gill clefts opening individually to the exterior, rigid dorsal fins and small placoid scales on the skin. The teeth are in several series; the upper jaw is not fused to the cranium, and the lower jaw is articulated with the upper. The details of this jaw anatomy vary between species, and help distinguish the different elasmobranch clades. The pelvic fins in males are modified to create claspers for the transfer of sperm. There is no swim bladder; instead, these fish maintain buoyancy with large livers rich in oil.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guitarfish</span> Family of cartilaginous fishes

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Potamotrygonidae</span> Family of cartilaginous fishes

River stingrays or freshwater stingrays are Neotropical freshwater fishes of the family Potamotrygonidae in the order Myliobatiformes, one of the four orders of batoids, cartilaginous fishes related to sharks. They are found in rivers in tropical and subtropical South America. A single marine genus, Styracura, of the tropical West Atlantic and East Pacific are also part of Potamotrygonidae. They are generally brownish, greyish or black, often with a mottled, speckled or spotted pattern, have disc widths ranging from 31 to 200 centimetres (1.0–6.6 ft) and venomous tail stingers. River stingrays feed on a wide range of smaller animals and the females give birth to live young. There are more than 35 species in five genera.

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<i>Rhina ancylostoma</i> Species of cartilaginous fish

Rhina ancylostoma, the bowmouth guitarfish, shark ray or mud skate, is a species of ray and a member of the family Rhinidae. Its evolutionary affinities are not fully resolved, though it may be related to true guitarfishes and skates. This rare species occurs widely in the tropical coastal waters of the western Indo-Pacific, at depths of up to 90 m (300 ft). Highly distinctive in appearance, Rhina ancylostoma has a wide and thick body with a rounded snout and large shark-like dorsal and tail fins. Its mouth forms a W-shaped undulating line, and there are multiple thorny ridges over its head and back. It has a dorsal color pattern of many white spots over a bluish gray to brown background, with a pair of prominent black markings over the pectoral fins. This large species can reach a length of 2.7 m (8.9 ft) and weight of 135 kg (298 lb).

<i>Rhinobatos</i> Genus of cartilaginous fishes

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clubnose guitarfish</span> Species of cartilaginous fish

The clubnose guitarfish(Glaucostegus thouin) is a critically endangered species of ray in the Glaucostegidae family. It is found from shallow coastal waters to a depth of 60 m (200 ft) in the Indo-Pacific, ranging from India to Southeast Asia, and also in the Red Sea. There are also old unconfirmed records from the Mediterranean and Suriname.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western shovelnose stingaree</span> Species of cartilaginous fish

The western shovelnose stingaree is a common species of stingray in the family Urolophidae, inhabiting shallow sandy flats and seagrass beds off southwestern Australia from Perth to Gulf St Vincent. Growing to 37 cm (15 in) long, this small ray has a rounded pectoral fin disc and a blunt, broadly triangular snout. Its nostrils have enlarged lobes along the outer rims and a skirt-shaped curtain of skin between them with a strongly fringed posterior margin. Its tail ends in a lance-like caudal fin and lacks dorsal fins and lateral skin folds. This species is colored grayish to brownish above, sometimes with lighter and darker spots, and pale below, sometimes with darker marginal bands and blotches.

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The common stingaree is a species of stingray in the family Urolophidae. The most abundant ray in inshore waters off eastern Australia, it generally inhabits estuaries, sandy flats, and rocky reefs from the shore to a depth of 60 m (200 ft). This plain brownish to grayish species has a rounded pectoral fin disc with a broadly triangular snout. Its nostrils have enlarged lobes on their outer margins and a skirt-shaped curtain of skin with a fringed posterior margin between them. Its tail bears a small dorsal fin before the stinging spine, and terminates in a leaf-shaped caudal fin. This ray can grow to 52 cm (20 in) long.

<i>Narcine entemedor</i> Species of cartilaginous fish

Narcine entemedor, the giant electric ray or Cortez electric ray, is a species of numbfish, family Narcinidae, native to the eastern Pacific Ocean from the Gulf of California to Panama. It is found in shallow water on sandy bottoms and sometimes adjacent to reefs. This species is closely related to the lesser electric ray from the western Atlantic, and may represent the same species. The specific epithet entemedor seems to be the Spanish equivalent of "intimidator".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern shovelnose ray</span> Species of cartilaginous fish

The eastern shovelnose ray is a species of guitarfish in the family Rhinobatidae of order Rhinopristiformes. The species is endemic to the east coast of Australia and inhabits subtropical and temperate waters from southern Queensland to southern New South Wales.

<i>Glaucostegus</i> Genus of cartilaginous fishes

Glaucostegus, also known as giant guitarfishes, is a genus of large Indo-Pacific rays, with a single species, Glaucostegus cemiculus, in the East Atlantic, and Mediterranean. They were formerly classified in the family Rhinobatidae but are now recognized as a distinct family, Glaucostegidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blackchin guitarfish</span> Species of cartilaginous fish

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".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhinopristiformes</span> Order of cartilaginous fishes

Rhinopristiformes is an order of rays, cartilaginous fishes related to sharks, containing shovelnose rays and allied groups.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Kyne, P.M.; Rigby, C.L.; Dharmadi, Gutteridge, A.N. & Jabado, R.W. (2019). "Glaucostegus typus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2019: e.T104061138A68623995. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-2.RLTS.T104061138A68623995.en . Retrieved 16 November 2021.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
  3. 1 2 3 Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2017). "Glaucostegus typus" in FishBase. July 2017 version.
  4. 1 2 3 Last; White; de Carvalho; Séret; Stehmann; Naylor, eds. (2016). Rays of the World. CSIRO. p. 116. ISBN   9780643109148.
  5. Van-Eyk, S. M.; Siebeck, U. E.; Champ, C. M.; Marshall, J.; Hart, N. S. (2011). "Behavioural evidence for colour vision in an elasmobranch" (PDF). The Journal of Experimental Biology. 214 (24): 4186–4192. doi: 10.1242/jeb.061853 . PMID   22116761.