Bowmouth guitarfish
CR

Bowmouth guitarfish

Rhina ancylostoma

Unknown

Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC) via https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhina_ancylostoma

Overview

Rhina ancylostoma, also known as the bowmouth guitarfish, shark ray or mud skate, is a species of ray and a member of the family Rhinidae. Its evolutionary affinities are not fully resolved, though it may be related to true guitarfishes and skates. This rare species occurs widely in the tropical coastal waters of the western Indo-Pacific, at depths of up to 90 m (300 ft).

Highly distinctive in appearance, Rhina ancylostoma has a wide and thick body with a rounded snout and large shark-like dorsal and tail fins. Its mouth forms a W-shaped undulating line, and there are multiple thorny ridges over its head and back. It has a dorsal color pattern of many white spots over a bluish gray to brown background, with a pair of prominent black markings over the pectoral fins.

This large species can...

The Bowmouth guitarfish faces severe population declines primarily due to intensive fishing pressure across its Indo-Pacific range, where it is targeted for its valuable fins and meat. Habitat degradation in coastal waters and extremely low reproductive rates make recovery difficult, while inadequate fisheries management has failed to prevent overexploitation of this slow-growing species.

Threat summary

Habitat

While uncommon, Rhina ancylostoma is widely distributed in the coastal tropical waters of the western Indo-Pacific. In the Indian Ocean, it is found from KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa to the Red Sea (including the Seychelles), across the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia (including the Maldives), to Shark Bay in Western Australia. Its Pacific range extends northward to Korea and southern...

MARINE· major

Frequently asked questions

Why is Bowmouth guitarfish classified as Critically Endangered?
Bowmouth guitarfish is classified as Critically Endangered — facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild — because population sizes are very small, declining sharply, or restricted to a tiny range. The Bowmouth guitarfish faces severe population declines primarily due to intensive fishing pressure across its Indo-Pacific range, where it is targeted for its valuable fins and meat. Habitat degradation in coastal waters and extremely low reproductive rates make recovery difficult, while inadequate fisheries management has failed to prevent overexploitation of this slow-growing species.
Where does Bowmouth guitarfish live?
Bowmouth guitarfish occurs in across multiple regions. Country-level distribution data is sourced from the IUCN Red List and cross-referenced with GBIF occurrences.
What are the main threats to Bowmouth guitarfish?
The main threats to Bowmouth guitarfish are ai-1, ai-2, ai-3, and ai-4. The full IUCN-classified threat record for this species is detailed on the species page.

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