False shark ray
| False shark ray | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
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| Genus: | Rhynchorhina |
| Species: | R. mauritaniensis
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| Binomial name | |
| Rhynchorhina mauritaniensis | |
The false shark ray (Rhynchorhina mauritaniensis) is a species of fish in the Rhynchobatidae family and the only species in the genus Rhynchorhina.[1] This rare ray is only known from shallow coastal Atlantic waters in Banc d’Arguin, Mauritania.[1][2][3]
The upperparts of the false shark ray are greyish or greenish-brown and densely covered in white spots.[2] The largest known reliably measured specimen was 2.24 m (7.3 ft) long, but individuals about 2.75 m (9 ft) have been seen.[1] Overall it resembles the African wedgefish (Rhynchobatus luebberti) found in the same region, but it has a blunt rounded snout somewhat like the shark ray or bowmouth guitarfish (Rhina ancylostoma) of the Indo-Pacific. The genus name Rhynchorhina (Rhyncho+rhina) is a reference to this "mix" of features.[1]
Although long known by the local Imraguen people, the first record confirmed by scientists was in 1998 and it only received its species description in 2016.[1]
Very little is known about the behavior of the false shark ray, but a 2-metre (6.6 ft) female caught in February had ripe ovocytes and shrimp in the stomach, while another had moray eels in the stomach.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f "Rhynchorhina mauritaniensis, a new genus and species of wedgefish from the eastern central Atlantic (Elasmobranchii: Batoidea: Rhinidae)". Zootaxa. 4138 (2): 291–308. 2016. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4138.2.4.
{{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter|authors=ignored (help) - ^ a b Rays of the World. CSIRO. 2016. p. 76. ISBN 9780643109148.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|editors=ignored (|editor=suggested) (help) - ^ "Rhynchorhina mauritaniensis Séret & Naylor, 2016". Shark References. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
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