EASTERN SHOVELNOSE RAY

View all available Eastern Shovelnose Ray Pictures

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.