Brazilian guitarfish
| Brazilian guitarfish | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Chondrichthyes |
| Subclass: | Elasmobranchii |
| Superorder: | Batoidea |
| Order: | Rhinopristiformes |
| Family: | Rhinobatidae |
| Genus: | Pseudobatos |
| Species: | P. horkelii
|
| Binomial name | |
| Pseudobatos horkelii | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
| |
The Brazilian guitarfish (Pseudobatos horkelii) is a species of
Taxonomy
The Brazilian guitarfish was first described as Rhinobatos horkelii by Müller & Henle in 1841. They named the new species in honour of the German botanist, Dr. Johann Horkel, Professor of Plant Physiology at the University of Berlin, who had sent them a specimen of the fish preserved in alcohol.[3]
Description
This species can grow to a length of 138 cm (54 in), but a more usual adult size is about 60 cm (24 in). The dorsal surface is a uniform olive-grey or brown. There is a dark patch on the snout and the nostrils are long. The crown is transversely flattened or slightly convex.[4]
Ecology
.jpg)
The Brazilian guitarfish is a low-fecundity viviparous fish. Mating takes place on the inner continental shelf in March and soon afterwards the adults disperse to outer areas of the shelf. The eggs are contained within a casing and remain dormant inside the female until she return to the warm, shallow waters of the inner continental shelf in November.[1] The young develop inside the female, at first obtaining nourishment from their yolk sacs, and later from maternal uterine secretions;[4] they grow from a length of about 1 cm (0.4 in) in December to about 29 cm (11 in) in February when they are born. The females mature at about 4 years of age and litter sizes range from 4 to 12, with larger fish having larger litters. The inner shelf provides important nursery areas for the young fish. Here both females and juveniles are particularly susceptible to being caught by pair-trawling and beach seine netting. Most of the catch is pregnant females. Later in the year, the adults disperse more widely over the inner shelf and are caught by otter-trawling.[5]
Status
The major threat faced by P. horkelii is overfishing. The fish is caught by trawling, beach seine and gillnet and has traditionally been the main
References
- ^ . Retrieved 30 April 2023.
- ^ a b Bailly, Nicolas (2015). "Rhinobatos horkelii Müller & Henle, 1841". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
- ISBN 978-1-78427-037-7.
- ^ a b "Rhinobatos horkelii Müller & Henle, 1841: Brazilian guitarfish". FishBase. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
- ISBN 978-3-642-60467-6.