Pseudobatos buthi

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Pseudobatos buthi
Pseudobatos buthi holotype.tiff
P. buthi, the spadenose guitarfish
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Chondrichthyes
Subclass: Elasmobranchii
Order: Rhinopristiformes
Family: Rhinobatidae
Genus: Pseudobatos
Species:
P. buthi
Binomial name
Pseudobatos buthi
K.M. Rutledge 2019

Pseudobatos buthi, the spadenose guitarfish, is a ray in the family Rhinobatidae. Described in 2019 based on 82 museum specimens, [2] little is known about this species in the wild. All 82 museum specimens were collected in the 1940s and 1950s and sat hidden at UCLA's fish collection and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.[ citation needed ]

Contents

This guitarfish of the genus Pseudobatops discovered and by a graduate student studying in Ecology and evolutionary biology in the University of California Los Angeles, Kelsi Rutledge. The name Pesudobatos buthi is named after Don Buth, her mentor. [3]

It likely is similar in ecology and behavior to its closest relative, Pseudobatos productus . This species is found in the Gulf of California and is a fairly small ray, with an intermediate body form between that of a shark and a ray. It is benthic, benthopelagic (Marine species that lives near the ocean bottom, float in the water column just above the sea floor, but does move in the water column above the seabed). The species spend most of its life on the seafloor in sandy, muddy, coastal regions above the benthic boundary layer. [4] It is different from other species due to its morphological characters, including a more narrow head and snout, as well as no spots or scales and thorns between orbits and down its snout.

Members of the genus Psedusobatos are morphologically similar, and distinguishing among species can be challenging due to subtle differences. According to Last et al. (2016a), Pseudobatos species differ from other members of the family Rhinobatidae mainly in their nasal morphology. They are characterized by narrow, elongated posterior nasal openings, bilobed anterior nasal flaps, and broad posterolateral nasal flaps, along with several other small morphological traits, such as no spots or scales and thorns between orbits and down its snout.[ citation needed ]

Pseudobatos buthi is most morphologically similar to P. productus, but with a narrower snout, narrower disc width, a shorter distance from nostril to disc margin, and a narrower disc width at anterior orbit. Additional distinguishing characters include smaller nostril length, a shorter anterior nasal flap base, reduced posterior and posterolateral nasal flap width, and a shorter distance between the anterior nasal flaps.[ citation needed ]

Wide variation in some of the characteristics exist for P. buthi, for example, snout length can vary from 14-19% compared to P. productus that have 15-17%. [4] Juvenile specimens of P. buthi are more readily distinguishable from adults, as juvenile P. buthi possess a long disc length at equivalent total lengths, a narrower snout tip, more pronounced interorbital scales, and denser thorns along the rostrum. In adults, these differences become less distinct.[ citation needed ]

Pseudobatos buthi Rutledge, 2019; holotype, SIO 15-405 [formerly UCLA W50-189], 471.1 TL male (c) Kelsi M. Rutledge Pseudobatos buthi Rutledge,.jpg
Pseudobatos buthi Rutledge, 2019; holotype, SIO 15-405 [formerly UCLA W50-189], 471.1 TL male © Kelsi M. Rutledge

Currently, it is unknown if P. buthi is still present in its origin of discovery, Gulf of California, as the last P. buthi recorded was caught in April 1961. However, due to its highly alike trait with P. productus, it is likely that P. buthi has been caught and misidentified as P. prodictus.[ citation needed ]

The maximum length recorded is 68.5 cm.[ citation needed ]

Systematics:

- Classification/Names:

Distribution:

Marine species, found on shallow coastal regions of the Gulf of California to at least two meters depth. The map shows the distribution of P. buthi, a new species caught by Boyd Walker and his colleagues in the 1940s and 1950s.[ citation needed ]

Biology:

Although detailed biological data on P. buthi are limited, general characteristics can be inferred from closely related species in the genus Pseudobatos.[ citation needed ]

Diet:

Like other guitarfishes, P. buthi likely feeds on small crustaceans, benthic fishes, and polychaete worms. These prey items are common in shallow soft-sediment environments where the species is found.[ citation needed ]

Reproduction:

Guitarfishes are typically ovoviviparous, meaning embryos develop inside egg cases retained within the mother until live birth. Litters usually contain 4–15 pups, depending on species. Although reproductive biology has not been directly studied in P. buthi, it likely follows this pattern.[ citation needed ]

Conservation Status:

- IUCN Status: Likely Data Deficient

Pseudobatos buthi has not been formally assessed by the IUCN Red List, but given its recent description and the lack of population data, it would almost certainly be classified as Data Deficient (DD).[ citation needed ]

- Population Status

No confirmed sightings have been recorded since 1961, but this is likely due to misidentification rather than extinction. Without modern survey effort or accurate field identification, true population trends cannot be evaluated.[ citation needed ]

This species garnered a lot of media attention due to the describer, Rutledge, who posted mock birth-announcement style photos with a preserved museum specimen, [6] including Forbes, [7] Spectrum1 News, [8] Smithsonian Magazine. [9]

References

  1. ↑ Rigby, C.L. & Derrick, D. (2021). "Pseudobatos buthi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2021 e.T157877009A196522247. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-2.RLTS.T157877009A196522247.en . Retrieved April 30, 2023.
  2. ↑ Rutledge, Kelsi M. (2019). "A New Guitarfish of the Genus Pseudobatos (Batoidea: Rhinobatidae) with Key to the Guitarfishes of the Gulf of California". Copeia. 107 (3): 451–463. doi:10.1643/CI-18-166. JSTOR   26954740. ProQuest   2312180077.
  3. ↑ Shiffman, David Samuel (September 19, 2019). "Welcome to the world, Pseudobatos buthi!". American Scientist.
  4. 1 2 Dunlop, Katherine M.; Jarvis, Toby; Benoit-Bird, Kelly J.; Waluk, Chad M.; Caress, David W.; Thomas, Hans; Smith, Kenneth L. (April 2018). "Detection and characterisation of deep-sea benthopelagic animals from an autonomous underwater vehicle with a multibeam echosounder: A proof of concept and description of data-processing methods". Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers. 134: 64–79. Bibcode:2018DSRI..134...64D. doi:10.1016/j.dsr.2018.01.006.
  5. ↑ Soto-López, Katherin; García-Vázquez, Gabriela; Martínez-Ayala, Julio C.; Galván-Magaña, Felipe; Ochoa-Báez, Rosa I. (March 2021). "First record of clasper malformation of Pseudobatos buthi (Chondrichthyes: Rhinobatidae) in the Gulf of California". Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. 101 (2): 449–455. Bibcode:2021JMBUK.101..449S. doi:10.1017/S0025315421000175. ProQuest   2549617142.
  6. ↑ Rutledge, Kelsi M. [@fishandfreckles] (August 30, 2019). "Welcome to the world P. buthi! I discovered a new species of ray called a guitarfish from the Gulf of California. (Also includes morphological analysis of all eastern pacific guitarfishes and dichotomous key) Read here. #newspecies https://doi.org/10.1643/CI-18-166 …pic.twitter.com/tosvnqwBfE" (Tweet) – via Twitter.[ verification needed ]
  7. ↑ Márquez, Melissa Cristina (September 9, 2019). "Say Hello To A New Relative Of Sharks". Forbes.
  8. ↑ Collins, Parker (September 18, 2019). "Graduate Student Discovers Species Lurking Inside a Museum". Spectrum News 1.
  9. ↑ Hall, Danielle (September 10, 2019). "Scientist Lampoons Birth Announcements With Discovery of New 'Spadenose' Ray". Smithsonian.com.

Further reading

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