''Rhynchobatus'' is a group of rays commonly known as wedgefishes 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. T ...

. 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 oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...

. All species in this genus are assessed as Vulnerable or

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, inv ...

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...

. 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

Rhinopristiformes Rhinopristiformes is an order of rays, cartilaginous fishes related to sharks, containing shovelnose rays and allied groups. Families Rhinopristiformes contains the following families: * Trygonorrhinidae Last, Séret & Naylor, 2016 (fiddle ...

, 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'' Whitley, 1939 (white-spotted wedgefish) * '' Rhynchobatus djiddensis'' ( 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 come in many styles and sizes, depending on the exact job they are designed for. Common variations ...

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

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

Bloch Bloch is a surname of German origin. Notable people with this surname include: A *Adele Bloch-Bauer (1881–1925), Austrian entrepreneur *Albert Bloch (1882–1961), American painter *Alexandre Bloch (1857–1919), French painter *Alfred Bloch ( ...

& J. G. Schneider, 1801) (smoothnose wedgefish) * '' Rhynchobatus luebberti'' Ehrenbaum, 1915 (African wedgefish) *'' Rhynchobatus mononoke'' Koeda, Itou, Yamada & Motomura, 2020 (Japanese wedgefish) * '' Rhynchobatus palpebratus'' 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 it is documented from Java, Borneo, Singapore, the Philippines and Thailand.C ...

'' Compagno &

, 2010 (broadnose wedgefish)

References

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