Spotted Shovelnose Ray, Aptychotrema timorensis Last 2004

Holotype of the Spotted Shovelnose Ray, Aptychotrema timorensis. Source: Australian National Fish Collection, CSIRO. License: CC By Attribution-NonCommercial

Summary:

A small brownish shovelnose ray covered in small pale spots with a narrow and very pointed snout. This rare species is only known to occur in the Timor Sea.

Cite this page as:

Bray, D.J. 2020, Aptychotrema timorensis in Fishes of Australia, accessed 20 Mar 2025, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/3270

Spotted Shovelnose Ray, Aptychotrema timorensis Last 2004

More Info

Distribution	Houtman Abrohlos, Western Australia, to the Timor Sea, north of Bathurst Island, Northern Territory. Depth range 66-200 m, mostly above 150 m.
Features	Vertebrae ~165. Disc wedge-shaped, snout very long, triangular; nostrils narrow; mouth arched strongly forward. Disc thin, length 1.3 times width with strongly concave anterior margins and broadly rounded outer corners. Snout sharply pointed, angle about 52 deg; orbit small, wider than interorbital space. Rostral ridges narrowly separated; no fleshy folds on spiracle. Tail 1.1 times longer than disc; dorsal fins widely spaced with angular tips. Skin uniformly granular; thorns strong, slightly compressed; 2 short thorns before eye; 3-4 thorns near spiracle; ~27 widely spaced thorns along midline of disc and predorsal tail; sometimes 2 large thorns on tip of snout and some on shoulder.
Colour	Covered in small widely-spaced dark-edged pale spots that are smaller than the eye diameter, and extend onto the caudal fin. Some larger spots are arranged in pairs (one spot on each shoulder, and spots on either side of the middle of the back). Underside uniformly pale.
Similar Species	Differs from other species in the genus in a number of measurements, and in having a narrower snout apex, fewer caudal vertebrae, and white spots on the dorsal surface.
Etymology	The species is named timorensis for the type locality, the Timor Sea.
Species Citation	Aptychotrema timorensis Last 2004, Rec. Aust Mus. 56: 203, figs 1-2. Type locality: Timor Sea, off Melville Island (Northern Territory), depth about 120 m.
Author	Bray, D.J. 2020
Resources	Atlas of Living Australia Australian Faunal Directory Catalog of Fishes