Western Shovelnose Ray, Aptychotrema vincentiana (Haacke 1885)
Other Names: Guitar Fish, Shovelnose Shark, Southern Shovelnose Ray, Southern Shovel-nose Ray, Southern Shovelnose-ray, Yellow Shovelnose Ray
Western Shovelnose Ray, Aptychotrema vincentiana. Source: Rudie H. Kuiter / Aquatic Photographics. License: All rights reserved
Summary:
A yellowish-brown ray covered in cloudy blotches, with usually a brown "mask" around the eyes, and a whitish underside with dark fleck. Juveniles and some adults have a small dark blotch on the tip of the snout.
Cite this page as:
Bray, D.J. 2023, Aptychotrema vincentiana in Fishes of Australia, accessed 29 Mar 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/1837
Western Shovelnose Ray, Aptychotrema vincentiana (Haacke 1885)
More Info
Distribution |
Corner Inlet, Victoria, and Kent Island, Tasmania, to northwest of Port Hedland, Western Australia. Inhabits seagrass beds and sandy areas in sheltered bays, estuaries, coastal and offshore waters. |
Features |
Vertebrae 167-171. Body elongate, depressed, tapering posteriorly, with ridge-like lateral skin folds past ventral fins; precaudal pits absent. Disc formed by union of head and pectoral fins wedge-shaped, shorter than body posterior to it; snout elongate, rather pointed, length to mouth about three times mouth width; eyes small; spiracle without skin folds; mouth moderately arched; teeth of equal size; five pairs of gill slits on underside of head. Midline of disc behind eyes with a row of smaller thorns extending posteriorly to second dorsal fin; orbital and shoulder thorns present. Two widely separate, prominent dorsal fins posteriorly on back behind disc, both behind pelvic fins; second smaller than first; anal fin absent; caudal fin without well developed lower lobe. |
Colour |
Dorsal surface greyish-brown or yellowish; a broad dark suborbital bar extending from margin of disc to each eye; several large dark blotches on body; juveniles often lacking dark markings; ventral surface whitish. |
Similar Species |
The similar Aptychotrema rostrata differs in having a slightly longer snout, and in lacking dark blotches and the "mask" around the eyes. |
Etymology |
The specific name vincentiana refers to the type locality, Gulf St Vincent, South Australia. |
Species Citation |
Rhinobatus vincentianus Haake 1885, Zool. Anz. 8: 488-509. Type locality: St. Vincents Gulf, South Australia. |
Author |
Bray, D.J. 2023 |
Resources |
Western Shovelnose Ray, Aptychotrema vincentiana (Haacke 1885)
References
Coleman, N. 1980. Australian Sea Fishes South of 30ºS. Lane Cove, NSW : Doubleday Australia Pty Ltd 309 pp.
Gomon, M.F. 2008. Families Torpedinidae to Rhinobatidae. pp. 101-107 in Gomon, M.F., Bray, D.J. & Kuiter, R.H. (eds). Fishes of Australia's Southern Coast. Sydney : Reed New Holland 928 pp.
Haacke, W. 1885. Über eine neue Art uterinaler Brutpflege bei Wirbelthieren. Zoologischer Anzeiger 8(202): 488-490. (name only, no description) See ref at BHL
Haacke, J.W. 1885. Diagnosen zweier bemerkenswerther südaustralischer Fische. Zoologischer Anzeiger 8(203/4): 508-509 See ref at BHL
Hoschke, A., Whisson, G. & Moore, G.I. 2019. Complete list of fishes from Rottnest Island. pp. 150-161 in Whisson, G. & Hoschke, A. (eds) The Rottnest Island fish book. 2nd ed. Perth : Aqua Research and Monitoring Services.
Hutchins, J.B. & Thompson, M. 1983. The Marine and Estuarine Fishes of South-western Australia. Perth : Western Australian Museum 103 pp. 345 figs.
Jones, A.A., Hall, N.G. & Potter, I.C. 2010. Species compositions of elasmobranchs caught by three different commercial fishing methods off southwestern Australia, and biological data for four abundant bycatch species. Fishery Bulletin 108(4): 365-381.
Kempster, R.M, Egeberg, C.A., Hart, N.S. & Collin, S.P. 2015. Electrosensory-driven feeding behaviours of the Port Jackson shark (Heterodontus portusjacksoni) and western shovelnose ray (Aptychotrema vincentiana). Marine and Freshwater Research 67(2) 187-194 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF14245
Kuiter, R.H. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. A comprehensive reference for divers and fishermen. Sydney, NSW, Australia : New Holland Publishers xvii, 434 pp.
Kuiter, R.H. & Kuiter, S. 2018. Coastal sea-fishes of south-eastern Australia. Seaford, Victoria : Aquatic Photographics, 371 pp.
Last, P.R. 1994. Families Torpedinidae, Rajiidae, Rhinobatidae. pp. 154-172 figs 132-149 in Gomon, M.F., Glover, C.J.M. & Kuiter, R.H. (eds). The Fishes of Australia's South Coast. Adelaide : State Printer 992 pp. 810 figs.
Last, P.R. & Séret, B. 2016. 12 Banjo Rays Family Trygonorrhinidae. pp. 117-126 in Last, P.R., White, W.T., de Carvalho, M.R., Séret, B., Stehmann, M.F.W. & Naylor, G.J.P. (eds) Rays of the World. Melbourne : CSIRO Publishing, 800 pp.
Last, P.R., Séret, B. & Naylor, G.J.P. 2016. A new species of guitarfish, Rhinobatos borneensis sp. nov. with a redefinition of the family-level classification in the order Rhinopristiformes (Chondrichthyes: Batoidea). Zootaxa 4117(4): 451-475 https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4117.4.1
Last, P.R. & Stevens, J.D. 1994. Sharks and Rays of Australia. Canberra : CSIRO Australia 513 pp. 84 pls.
Last, P.R. & Stevens, J.D. 2009. Sharks and Rays of Australia. Collingwood : CSIRO Publishing Australia 2, 550 pp.
May, J.L. & Maxwell, J.G.H. 1986. Field Guide to Trawl Fish from Temperate Waters of Australia. Hobart : CSIRO Division of Marine Research 492 pp.
Morgan, D.L. & McAuley, R.B. 2015. Aptychotrema vincentiana. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015: e.T44186A68609294. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T44186A68609294.en. Downloaded on 04 September 2020.
Sommerville E., Platell M.E., White W.T., Jones A.A. & Potter I.C. 2011. Partitioning of food resources by four abundant, co-occurring elasmobranch species: relationships between diet and both body size and season. Marine and Freshwater Research 62: 54-65. https://doi.org/10.1071/MF10164
Waite, E.R. 1921. Illustrated catalogue of the fishes of South Australia. Records of the South Australian Museum (Adelaide) 2(1): 1-208 293 figs pl. 1 (as Rhinobatus philippi)
Whitley, G.P. 1940. The Fishes of Australia. Part 1. The sharks, rays, devil-fish, and other primitive fishes of Australia and New Zealand. Sydney : Roy. Zool. Soc. N.S.W. 280 pp. 303 figs.