| Rhinobatidae (Guitarfishes) |
| 75 cm TL (male/unsexed) |
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demersal; brackish; marine; depth range 70 - 76 m, amphidromous |
| Indian Ocean: West Bengal to Myanmar, upper Bay of Bengal (India) to possibly Arabian Sea; Sri Lanka (Ref. 114953). |
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This species is distinguished by the following set of characters: disc is wedge-shaped, rather large, its width 35-37% TL, its length 1.2-1.3 times width; snout is relatively short, length 2.5-2.7 times interspiracular distance, ~3.4 times interorbital width; orbit diameter 1.2-1.4 times the spiracle length; nostrils are moderately oblique, length 1.3-1.5 times internarial distance; mouth width 6.3-6.9% TL; preoral length 5.5-5.9 times internarial distance; posterior nasal flaps are broad; two spiracular folds, the outermost fold subequal to marginally taller than inner fold; ridges of the rostral cartilage almost parallel, widely separated, converging slightly anteriorly but not constricted medially; anterior cartilage weakly sickle-shaped, almost truncate posteriorly; distance between the fifth gill slits 2.5-2.7 times in ventral head length; prebranchial sensory pore system distinct, extending posteriorly to margin of first gill slit; postscapular sensory canal notched, the lateral pores exposed; with weak thorn patches on supraorbit and scapular region, and row of rudimentary thorns (inconspicuous) along dorsal midline; denticles on dorsal fins densest anteriorly, more sparse posteriorly; dorsal fins are small, height of first 7.7-8.1% TL; pelvic-fin inner margin subequal to or shorter than its base length; interdorsal distance 2.3-2.9 times first dorsal-fin base; dorsal caudal margin 1.9-2.0 times the preventral margin; upper jaw with ~118 tooth rows; snout angle ~61°; pectoral radials 68-72; post-synarcual centra ~164; nasal lamellae ~49. Colouration: dorsal fins brownish anteriorly while dusky posteriorly and apically; dorsal disc of adults is uniformly brown to greenish, with or without large, regularly spaced cloudy blotches (faint orange to dusky, more or less symmetrically arranged and of irregular sizes); ventral disc and tail are pale; undersurface of snout without large, black, teardrop marking (Ref. 123963). |
| Found on benthic inshore areas on continental shelf to at least 76 m depth (Ref. 123963). Also known to inhabit river mouths. Ovoviviparous (Ref. 50449). Confused with other species in the Indian Ocean, biology unknown (Ref. 114953). |
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Critically Endangered (CR); Date assessed: 13 May 2019 (A2d) Ref. (130435)
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| harmless |
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