Rhinobatos holcorhynchus (Slender guitarfish)

Norman, 1922

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

Rhinobatos holcorhynchus (Slender guitarfish) [Illustration by Ann Hecht ©]

Identification

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.

Size

At least 1.2 m TL.

Range

East coast, Port Shepstone to kwaZulu. Endemic.

Habitat

Offshore on shelf, 75 to 183 m.

Biology

Unknown. Rare, more wanted.

Human Impact

Caught by trawlers.

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