Common
English Names:
Eastern Shovelnose Ray,
Long Nosed
Shovelnose Ray
Long Snouted Shovelnose Ray
Shovelnose Shark
Australian
Guitarfish
Eastern Fiddler Ray.
Other Common
Names:
鼻鏟吻犁頭鰩
- China
Mandarin
鼻铲吻犁头鳐
- China
Chinese
Banks shovelnose ray
- Australia
English
East Australian shovelnose ray
- UK
English
Eragoni
- Australia
Other
Oostelijke gitaarrog
- Netherlands
Dutch
Østlig skovlnæserokke
- Denmark
Danish
Latin
Name: Aptychotrema rostrata
Family:
Rhinobatidae
Identification:
Body disc much longer than width. Snout
long and pointed with rounded tip.
Body tapers into broad tail
topped by two well developed dorsal fins of roughly equal size. Caudal fin triangular with indistinct lower lobe. Dorsum color olive to
sandy brown with vague darker blotches. Bold orange-yellow blotches often
visible in front of eyes but sometimes absent. Ventrum pale.
Size:
Maximum
length 120cm. 13cm at birth.
Habitat:
Intertidal
Inshore
waters to 60m. On sandy bottoms and sea grass beds.
Often adjacent to reefs.
Abundance
and distribution: Eastern Australia from Moreton Bay in Queensland to
Jervis Bay in New South Wales.
Behavior: Lays
on or partially buried in sand when not foraging for food.
Reproduction:
Guitarfishes are ovoviviparous (yolk
sac viviparity).
The females uterus is
lined with tiny club shaped villi that provide nutrients for the young as they
develop. Litters number up to four.
Photographs:
South West Rocks, NSW. and Nelson Bay,
NSW.
Similar
species: The Eastern Shovelnose
Ray is also known as the Long-snouted Shovelnose Ray. There is a sympatric
Short-snouted Shovelnose Ray (A.bougainvillii) which is said to be
slightly smaller, and have a proportionately shorter snout but this may simply
be a synonym of its longer snouted cousin.
Reaction
to divers: Generally easy to approach with careful slow movements. I spent a
good five minutes swimming around one specimen looking for the best angle to
shoot from and the ray barely moved. Others have proven to be rather skittish
once disturbed.
Diving logistics: The
Eastern Shovelnose Ray is a common inhabitant of bays along the NSW coastline.
Two of the best locations for this animal are Southwest Rocks and Nelson Bay but
they may be even more common in other places. Both locations are appropriate for
shore dives. Nelson Bay is tidal and requires some local knowledge.
Other diving locations submitted by readers:
Further
reading:
Sharks, Rays, and Chimaeras of
California. David A. Ebert
Reef Sharks and Rays of the World. Scott W. Michael. Sea Challengers.
Sharks
and Rays - Elasmobranch Guide of the World. Ralf M. Hennemann. IKAN.
