The false shark ray (Rhynchorhina mauritaniensis) is a species of fish in the Rhinidae family and the only species in the genus Rhynchorhina.[2] This rare ray is only known from shallow coastal Atlantic waters in Banc d’Arguin, Mauritania.[2][3][4]
| False shark ray | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Chondrichthyes |
| Subclass: | Elasmobranchii |
| Superorder: | Batoidea |
| Order: | Rhinopristiformes |
| Family: | Rhinidae |
| Genus: | Rhynchorhina Séret & Naylor, 2016 |
| Species: | R. mauritaniensis
|
| Binomial name | |
| Rhynchorhina mauritaniensis | |
The upperparts of the false shark ray are greyish or greenish-brown and densely covered in white spots.[3] 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.[2] 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.[2]
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.[2]
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.[2]
References edit
- ^ "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
- ^ a b c d e f Séret, B.; G. Naylor (2016). "Rhynchorhina mauritaniensis, a new genus and species of wedgefish from the eastern central Atlantic (Elasmobranchii: Batoidea: Rhinidae)". Zootaxa. 4138 (2): 291–308. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4138.2.4. PMID 27470765.
- ^ a b Last; White; de Carvalho; Séret; Stehmann; Naylor, eds. (2016). Rays of the World. CSIRO. p. 76. ISBN 9780643109148.
- ^ Pollerspöck, J.; N. Straube. "Rhynchorhina mauritaniensis Séret & Naylor, 2016". Shark References. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
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