''Rhynchobatus'' is a group of

rays Ray may refer to: Fish * Ray (fish), any cartilaginous fish of the superorder Batoidea * Ray (fish fin anatomy), a bony or horny spine on a fin Science and mathematics * Ray (geometry), half of a line proceeding from an initial point * Ray (gra ...

commonly known as

wedgefish Wedgefishes are rays of the family Rhinidae, comprising eleven species in three genera. Classified in the order Rhinopristiformes along with guitarfishes and sawfishes, they have also been known as giant guitarfishes or sharkfin guitarfishes. Ta ...

es in the family

Rhinidae Wedgefishes are rays of the family Rhinidae, comprising eleven species in three genera. Classified in the order Rhinopristiformes along with guitarfishes and sawfishes, they have also been known as giant guitarfishes or sharkfin guitarfishes. Ta ...

. They are found in the tropical and subtropical

Indo-Pacific The Indo-Pacific is a vast biogeographic region of Earth. In a narrow sense, sometimes known as the Indo-West Pacific or Indo-Pacific Asia, it comprises the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the ...

with a single species (''R. luebberti'') in the eastern

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

. All species in this genus are assessed as

Vulnerable Vulnerable may refer to: General * Vulnerability * Vulnerability (computing) * Vulnerable adult * Vulnerable species Music Albums * ''Vulnerable'' (Marvin Gaye album), 1997 * ''Vulnerable'' (Tricky album), 2003 * ''Vulnerable'' (The Used album) ...

Endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inv ...

by IUCN. The species are superficially similar and have often been confused. The various species can generally be separated by a combination of snout shape, vertebral count and exact colour (distribution of white spots, and presence/absence of a black spot at the base of the pectoral fin). The largest species can reach about and are among the largest species of rajiforms, but the smallest reach less than one-third of that size.Last, Kyne & Compagno (2016). A new species of wedgefish Rhynchobatus cooki (Rhinopristiformes, Rhinidae) from the Indo-West Pacific. Zootaxa 4139(2): 233-247.

Species

There are currently seven recognized species in this genus: In the past all the Indo-Pacific species have been confused with ''R. djiddensis'', which as presently defined is restricted to the western Indian Ocean.Last, P.R., Ho, H.-C. & Chen, R.-R. (2013)
A new species of wedgefish, ''Rhynchobatus immaculatus'' (Chondrichthyes, Rhynchobatidae), from Taiwan.
Pp. 185-198 in: de Carvalho, M.R., Ebert, D.A., Ho, H.-C. & White, W.T. (eds.) : Systematics and biodiversity of sharks, rays, and chimaeras (Chondrichthyes) of Taiwan. ''Zootaxa, 3752 (1): 1–386.'' * ''

Rhynchobatus australiae ''Rhynchobatus australiae'', also called the white-spotted guitarfish, white-spotted wedgefish or bottlenose wedgefish, is a species of fish in the Rhinidae family. It is found from shallow waters to a depth of at least in the Indo-Pacific, ran ...

Whitley Whitley may refer to: Places ;United Kingdom *Whitley, Berkshire, a suburb of Reading *Whitley, Cheshire, a village near Warrington *Whitley, Coventry, a suburb of Coventry, West Midlands *Whitley, Essex, near Birdbrook * Whitley, Wigan, Greater M ...

, 1939 (White-spotted wedgefish) * ''

Rhynchobatus djiddensis The giant guitarfish (''Rhynchobatus djiddensis''), also known as the whitespotted wedgefish, is a large species of guitarfish in the family Rhinidae. It is restricted to the Red Sea, Persian Gulf, and western Indian Ocean, but was formerly ...

'' ( Forsskål, 1775) (Giant guitarfish) * '' Rhynchobatus cooki''

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 typically come in pairs and have been made from various materials, including hardwoods, cast iron, and ...

, Kyne & Compagno, 2016 (Roughnose wedgefish) * '' Rhynchobatus immaculatus''

, H. C. Ho & R. R. Chen, 2013 (Taiwanese wedgefish) * ''

Rhynchobatus laevis The smoothnose wedgefish (''Rhynchobatus laevis'') is a species of fish in the Rhinidae family. It is found in northern Indian Ocean and northwestern Pacific Ocean, ranging from the Arabian Sea and Persian Gulf east to Bangladesh, and South China ...

'' (

Bloch Bloch is a surname of German origin. Notable people with this surname include: A–F * (1859-1914), French rabbi * Adele Bloch-Bauer (1881-1925), Austrian entrepreneur * Albert Bloch (1882–1961), American painter * (born 1972), German motor jour ...

& J. G. Schneider, 1801) (Smoothnose wedgefish) * ''

Rhynchobatus luebberti The African wedgefish, guitarra, Lubbert's guitarfish, or spikenose wedgefish (''Rhynchobatus luebberti'') is a species of fish in the Rhinidae family. It is the only species in its genus to occur in the East Atlantic. Etymology The fish is name ...

Ehrenbaum Ehrenbaum is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Ernst Ehrenbaum (1861–1942), German researcher of aquaculture, fishes * Hans Ehrenbaum-Degele Hans Ehrenbaum-Degele (24 July 1889 – 28 July 1915) was a German writer. He ...

, 1915 (African wedgefish) *''

Rhynchobatus mononoke ''Rhynchobatus mononoke'', the Japanese wedgefish, is a species of fish in the family Rhinidae. It is found in southern Japan. This species reaches a length of . References mononoke ''Mononoke'' (物の怪) are vengeful spirits (onryō ...

'' Koeda, Itou,

Yamada Yamada (山田, ) is the 12th most common Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: *, Japanese model, actress and idol *, Japanese field hockey player *, Japanese illustrator and manga artist *, Japanese rugby union player *, Ja ...

& Motomura, 2020 (Japanese wedgefish) * ''

Rhynchobatus palpebratus ''Rhynchobatus palpebratus'', the eyebrow wedgefish, is a species of fish in the Rhinidae family.Compagno, L.J.V. & Last, P.R. (2008). ''A new species of wedgefish, Rhynchobatus palpebratus sp. nov. (Rhynchobatoidei: Rhynchobatidae), from the Ind ...

'' Compagno &

, 2008 (Eyebrow wedgefish) * ''

Rhynchobatus springeri The broadnose wedgefish (''Rhynchobatus springeri'') is a species of fish in the Rhinidae family. It is found in coastal and estuarine habitats in southeast Asia, where documented from Java, Borneo, Singapore, the Philippines and Thailand.C ...

'' Compagno &

, 2010 (Broadnose wedgefish)

References

Rajiformes Ray genera Taxa named by Johannes Peter Müller Taxa named by Friedrich Gustav Jakob Henle Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Rajiformes-stub

Species

See also

References