The false shark ray (Rhynchorhina mauritaniensis) is a species of fish in the Rhinidae family and the only species in the genus Rhynchorhina.[2] This rare ray is only known from shallow coastal Atlantic waters in Banc d’Arguin, Mauritania.[2][3][4]
| False shark ray | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Chondrichthyes |
| Subclass: | Elasmobranchii |
| Order: | Rhinopristiformes |
| Family: | Rhinidae |
| Genus: | Rhynchorhina Séret & Naylor, 2016 |
| Species: | R. mauritaniensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Rhynchorhina mauritaniensis Séret & Naylor, 2016 | |
The upperparts of the false shark ray are greyish or greenish-brown and densely covered in white spots.[3] The largest known reliably measured specimen was 2.24 m (7.3 ft) long, but individuals about 2.75 m (9 ft) have been seen.[2] Overall it resembles the African wedgefish (Rhynchobatus luebberti) found in the same region, but it has a blunt rounded snout somewhat like the shark ray or bowmouth guitarfish (Rhina ancylostoma) of the Indo-Pacific. The genus name Rhynchorhina (Rhyncho+rhina) is a reference to this "mix" of features.[2]
Although long known by the local Imraguen people, the first record confirmed by scientists was in 1998 and it only received its species description in 2016.[2]
Very little is known about the behavior of the false shark ray, but a 2-metre (6.6 ft) female caught in February had ripe ovocytes and shrimp in the stomach, while another had moray eels in the stomach.[2]
References
_(7556009118).jpg){kind=small}
Wikiwand in your browser!
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.
Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.
