CR

Whitespotted Guitarfish

Rhinobatos albomaculatus

Declining

Overview

The white-spotted guitarfish is a type of ray. It is found in the eastern Atlantic from the Gulf of Guinea to Angola. It reaches a length of approximately 75 cm.

Rhinobatos albomaculatus faces severe population declines primarily due to intensive fishing pressure across its Indo-Pacific range. The species is particularly vulnerable to bottom trawling and gillnet fisheries that target demersal fish in shallow coastal waters where these rays aggregate. Habitat degradation from coastal development and pollution further compounds the threats, while their slow reproductive rate limits population recovery potential.

Threat summary

Habitat

This guitarfish inhabits shallow coastal waters, typically found on sandy and muddy bottoms in depths ranging from nearshore areas to approximately 60 meters. The species prefers tropical and subtropical continental shelf waters throughout the Indo-Pacific region.

Marine coastal/supratidal· major

Conservation measures underway

Site/area protectionSpecies recoveryAwareness & communicationsLegislationCompliance and enforcement

Other threatened species in RHINOBATIDAE

CR

Smoothback Guitarfish

Rhinobatos lionotus

Declining
VU

Gorgona Guitarfish

Pseudobatos prahli

Declining
VU

Speckled Guitarfish

Pseudobatos glaucostigmus

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EN

Greyspot Guitarfish

Acroteriobatus leucospilus

Declining

Threatened in Angola

Angolan AdderVU

Angolan Adder

Bitis heraldica

Declining
Cape GannetEN

Cape Gannet

Morus capensis

Declining
Zebra DuikerVU

Zebra Duiker

Cephalophus zebra

Declining
Slaty EgretVU

Slaty Egret

Egretta vinaceigula

Declining

Frequently asked questions

Why is Whitespotted Guitarfish classified as Critically Endangered?
Whitespotted 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. Rhinobatos albomaculatus faces severe population declines primarily due to intensive fishing pressure across its Indo-Pacific range. The species is particularly vulnerable to bottom trawling and gillnet fisheries that target demersal fish in shallow coastal waters where these rays aggregate. Habitat degradation from coastal development and pollution further compounds the threats, while their slow reproductive rate limits population recovery potential.
Where does Whitespotted Guitarfish live?
Whitespotted Guitarfish occurs in Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Congo - Brazzaville, and Congo - Kinshasa (plus 14 other countries). Country-level distribution data is sourced from the IUCN Red List and cross-referenced with GBIF occurrences.
What are the main threats to Whitespotted Guitarfish?
The main threats to Whitespotted Guitarfish are 1.1, 1.3, 2.1, and 2.4. The full IUCN-classified threat record for this species is detailed on the species page.

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