Rhinopristiformes is an
order
Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to:
* A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica
* Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood
...
of
rays,
cartilaginous fishes related to
shark
Sharks are a group of elasmobranch cartilaginous fish characterized by a ribless endoskeleton, dermal denticles, five to seven gill slits on each side, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the ...
s, containing shovelnose rays and allied groups.
Families
Rhinopristiformes contains the following families:
*
Trygonorrhinidae Last
A last is a mechanical form shaped like a human foot. It is used by shoemakers and cordwainers in the manufacture and repair of shoes. Lasts come in many styles and sizes, depending on the exact job they are designed for. Common variations ...
, Séret & Naylor, 2016 (fiddler rays or banjo rays)
*
Rhinobatidae Bonaparte, 1835 (guitarfishes)
*
Rhinidae J. P. Müller & Henle, 1841 (bowmouth guitarfishes or wedgefishes)
*
Glaucostegidae Last, Séret & Naylor, 2016 (giant guitarfishes)
*
Pristidae
Sawfish, also known as carpenter sharks, are a Family (biology), family of very large batoidea, rays characterized by a long, narrow, flattened rostrum (anatomy), rostrum, or nose extension, lined with sharp transverse plane, transverse teeth, ...
Bonaparte, 1835 (sawfishes)
Two additional families are associated with the order but their
phylogenetic
In biology, phylogenetics () is the study of the evolutionary history of life using observable characteristics of organisms (or genes), which is known as phylogenetic inference. It infers the relationship among organisms based on empirical dat ...
relationships have not been fully resolved:
* Family
Platyrhinidae (thornback rays)
* Family
Zanobatidae (panrays)
The following fossil genera are also possibly rhinopristiforms, but phylogenetic relationships are uncertain:
* †''
Britobatos''
Claeson, Underwood & Ward, 2013 (
Santonian
The Santonian is an age in the geologic timescale or a chronostratigraphic stage. It is a subdivision of the Late Cretaceous Epoch or Upper Cretaceous Series. It spans the time between 86.3 ± 0.7 mya ( million years ago) and 83.6 ± 0.7 m ...
of
Lebanon
Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...
, likely a stem-
platyrhinid)
* †''
Stahlraja''
Brito, Leal & Gallo, 2013 (
Albian
The Albian is both an age (geology), age of the geologic timescale and a stage (stratigraphy), stage in the stratigraphic column. It is the youngest or uppermost subdivision of the Early Cretaceous, Early/Lower Cretaceous epoch (geology), Epoch/s ...
of Brazil, likely a stem-
trygonorrhinid)
* †''
Tethybatis''
Carvalho, 2004 (
Campanian
The Campanian is the fifth of six ages of the Late Cretaceous epoch on the geologic timescale of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS). In chronostratigraphy, it is the fifth of six stages in the Upper Cretaceous Series. Campa ...
of Italy, likely a stem-trygonorrhinid)
* †''
Tingitanius''
Claeson, Underwood & Ward, 2013 (
Turonian
The Turonian is, in the International Commission on Stratigraphy, ICS' geologic timescale, the second age (geology), age in the Late Cretaceous epoch (geology), Epoch, or a stage (stratigraphy), stage in the Upper Cretaceous series (stratigraphy), ...
of
Morocco
Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...
, likely a platyrhinid)
* †''
Tlalocbatos''
Brito, Villalobos-Segura & Alvarado-Ortega, 2019 (Albian of Mexico, likely a stem-trygonorrhinid)
The
spathobatids, an extinct group of rays from the Late Jurassic of Germany, convergently evolved to closely resemble guitarfishes, but are not thought to be related to rhinopristiforms.
Characteristics
Species in the order Rhinopristiformes generally exhibit slow growth, late maturity, and low fecundity.
Alone or in combination, such features cause fishes in this group to be susceptible to extinction.
Threats
Rhinopristiformes are more prone to being caught in many different types of fishing equipment, including trawl, gillnet, seine net, and hook-and-line.
They are caught for their meat but most importantly their fins. While the meat is mostly consumed locally the white fins are a delicacy and highly sought after. They are the most valuable part of Rhinopristiformes therefore their fins are in high demand. Both the combination of overfishing and the high desire for their fins has caused the Rhinopristiformes population to rapidly decline.
References
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