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biodiversity explorer

the web of life in southern Africa

Rhinobatoidei (guitarfishes)

Life > Eukaryotes > Opisthokonta > Metazoa (animals) > Bilateria > Deuterostomia > Chordata > Craniata > Vertebrata (vertebrates)  > Gnathostomata (jawed vertebrates) > Chondrichthyes > Elasmobranchii > Batoidei > Rajiformes

Species in southern Africa

Rhinobatos annulatus (Little guitarfish)

A flattened guitarfish with a broad wedge-shaped snout and pectoral disk, upper surface tan to dark brown, underside white. Typical Cape colour variant has numerous small ocelli consisting of a dark brown spot with a light ring and a dark brown margin around it. Natal colour variant (illustrated) has simple large dark spots.

Rhinobatos blochii (Fiddlefish)

A flattened guitarfish with a blunt, broadly pointed snout and broad pectoral disk, upper surface plain brown, except for a few white spots in young.

Rhinobatos cemiculus (Blackchin guitarfish)

 

Rhinobatos holcorhynchus (Slender guitarfish)

A flattened guitarfish with a narrow sharply pointed snout and narrow pectoral disk, upper surface plain olive green without spots, and a prominent black blotch on underside of snout. Unlike other Rhinobatos guitarfish in the area, its nasal flaps extend only to the inner nostril edges.

Rhinobatos irvinei (Spineback guitarfish)

 

Rhinobatos leucospilus (Greyspot guitarfish)

A flattened guitarfish with a broad wedge-shaped snout and pectoral disk, upper surface brown with large blue-grey spots on back and pectoral fins and symmetrical blue-grey bands on snout, also a few dark brown spots on back. Underside white.

Rhinobatos ocellatus (Speckled guitarfish)

A flattened guitarfish with a narrow wedge-shaped snout and pectoral disk, upper surface brown with numerous small blue-grey eye-spots ringed with dark brown.

Rhinobatos rhinobatos (Common guitarfish or violinfish)

 

Rhinobatos sp. nov. (Mozambique speckled guitarfish)

 

Text by Leonard J.V. Compagno, David A. Ebert and Malcolm J. Smale