Bottlenose Wedgefish, Rhynchobatus australiae Whitley 1939
Other Names: Fiddler, Giant Guitarfish, Sandshark, Shovelnose Shark, Whitespot Ray, Whitespot Shovelnose Ray, Whitespotted Guitarfish, White-spotted Guitarfish, White-spotted Shovelnose Ray, White-spotted Shovelnosed Guitarfish, White-spotted Shovelnosed Ray, White-spotted Shovelnose-ray, Whitespotted Wedgefish, White-spotted Wedgefish
A Whitespotted Guitarfish, Rhynchobatus australiae, at Lady Elliot Island, southern Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, October 2014. Source: David R / iNaturalist.org. License: CC by Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives
Summary:
In the past, this species has been referred to as Rhynchobatus djiddensis, which occurs in the Western Indian Ocean from the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa, to the Red Sea. The Bottlenose Wedgefish is also confused with the Smoothnose Wedgefish, Rhynchobatus laevis.
Cite this page as:
Bray, D.J. 2025, Rhynchobatus australiae in Fishes of Australia, accessed 01 Jul 2025, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/Home/species/3273
Bottlenose Wedgefish, Rhynchobatus australiae Whitley 1939
More Info
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Distribution |
Busselton, Western Australia, around the tropical north to Jervis Bay, New South Wales. Elsewhere, the species is widespread in the Indo-west Pacific: from Mozambique to the Solomon Islands and north to Taiwan. Inhabits inshore waters, occurring on soft bottoms near reefs. |
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Feeding |
Reportedly feeds on invertebrates such as crabs, other crustaceans and shellfish. |
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Biology |
Males mature at 110-130 cm TL; females mature at ~155 cm TL Reproduction is lecithotrophic viviparous with embryos relying on the yolk sac for nutrition. Females produce litter sizes of 7-19 pups, born at 46–50 cm TL. |
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Fisheries |
Wedgefishes are heavily used for their meat and fins throughout their range, except in Australia. They are in multiple artisanal and commercial fisheries, both as a target species and as bycatch. The flesh is sold for human consumption in Asia and the fins from large animals fetch exceptionally high prices, creating a significant incentive for bycatch to be retained. In Australia, where fishing effort is relatively low, Turtle Exclusion Devices reduce catches of large rays by 94%, and there are controls on their catch and retention. |
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Remarks |
Rhynchobatus australiae has been confused with R. djiddensis (a species found only in the western Indian Ocean and Red Sea), and R. laevis which has recently been described from Australian waters. |
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Etymology |
The specific name refers to the type locality, Australia. |
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Species Citation |
Rhynchobatus djiddensis australiae Whitley 1939, Australian Zoologist 9(3): 245, fig. 14. Type locality: off the Manning River mouth, New South Wales, Australia. |
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Author |
Bray, D.J. 2025 |
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Resources |
Bottlenose Wedgefish, Rhynchobatus australiae Whitley 1939
References
Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Perth : Western Australian Museum 292 pp. 106 pls. (as Rhynchobatus djiddensis)
Allen, G.R. & Erdmann, M.V. 2012. Reef fishes of the East Indies. Perth : Tropical Reef Research 3 vols, 1260 pp.
Compagno, L.J.V. & Last, P.R. 1999. Families Pristidae, Rhinidae, Rhinobatidae, Platyrhinidae. pp. 1410-1432 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, V.H. (eds) The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 3 pp. 1397-2068.
Dulvy, N.K. & Reynolds, J.D. 1997. Evolutionary transitions among egg-laying, live-bearing and maternal inputs in sharks and rays. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, Series B: 264, 1309–1315 https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.1997.0181
Giles, J.L., Riginos, C., Naylor, G.J.P., Dharmadi & Ovenden, J.R. 2016. Genetic and phenotypic diversity in the wedgefish Rhynchobatus australiae, a threatened ray of high value in the shark fin trade. Marine Ecology Progress Series 548: 165–180, https://doi.org/10.3354/meps11617
Grant, E.M. 2002. Guide to Fishes. Redcliffe : EM Grant Pty Ltd 880 pp. (as Rhynchobatus djiddensis)
Groeneveld, M.J., Klein, J.D., Bennett, R.H., Abdulla, A.S., et al. 2024. Population genetic structure of bottlenose and whitespotted wedgefishes from the Southwest Indian Ocean using a dual marker approach. Endangered Species Research 53: 409-427 https://doi.org/10.3354/esr01311
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. (as Rhynchobatus djiddensis)
Kyne, P.M., Rigby, C.L., Dharmadi & Jabado, R.W. 2019. Rhynchobatus australiae. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019: e.T41853A68643043. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-2.RLTS.T41853A68643043.en. Accessed on 13 February 2025.
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.
Last, P.R., White, W.T. & Séret, B. 2016. 9. Wedgefishes. Family Rhinidae in Last, P.R., White, W.T., Carvalho, M.R. de, Séret, B., Stehmann, M.F.W. & Naylor, G.J.P. (eds). Rays of the World. Clayton South, Victoria : CSIRO Publishing 790 pp.
Macbeth, W.G., Vandenberg, M. & Graham, K.J. 2008. Identifying Sharks and Rays; A guide to Commercial Fishers. Sydney : New South Wales Department of Primary Industry 71 pp.
Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & Steene, R. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 557 pp. figs.
White, W.T., Last, P.R., Stevens, J.D., Yearsley, G.K., Fahmi & Dharmadi. 2006. Economically Important Sharks and Rays of Indonesia. Canberra : ACIAR Publishing, 329 pp.
White, W.T. & McAuley, R. (SSG Australia & Oceania Regional Workshop, March 2003). 2003. Rhynchobatus australiae. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2003: e.T41853A10580429. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2003.RLTS.T41853A10580429.en. Downloaded on 30 March 2017.
Whitley, G.P. 1939. Taxonomic notes on sharks and rays. The Australian Zoologist 9(3): 227-262 figs 1-18 pls 20-22
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. (as Rhynchobatus djiddensis australiae)
