Aptychotrema rostrata
Long-snout shovelnose ray | Australian Shovelnose Ray | Banjo Fish | Eragoni | Guitarfish | Shovelnose Shark
Aptychotrema rostrata, juvenile, Jervis Bay, NSW, Photo: Andrew Green
Aptychotrema rostrata, Photo: Andrew Green
Aptychotrema rostrata, Jervis Bay, New South Wales, Australia
Aptychotrema rostrata, Jervis Bay, NSW, Photo: Andrew Green
Distribution
Temperate Australasia
Description
Pale triangular head, slightly longer than wide, with dark blotches distributed irregularly over a greyish brown body. This ray is common off the mouths of estuaries, where it sits motionless for much of the day. It feeds actively at night on crustaceans and molluscs that live on or under sand.
Information
Max Size: 72 cm
Sea Temperature Range: 15.3-25.1°C
Depth: 1-60m
Habitat Generalization Index: N/A
Also referred to as the SGI (Species Generalisation Index), this describes the habitat niche breadth of the species. Species with values less than 15 are found in a relatively narrow range of reef habitat types (specialists), while those over 25 may be found on most hard substrates within their range (generalists). Learn more here.
Conservation and Rarity
IUCN Status: Least Concern
Occurrence: Infrequent (5.1% of sites)
Occurrence describes how often the species is found on surveys within its distribution. It is calculated as the % of reef sites surveyed by RLS divers across all the ecoregions in which the species has been observed
Abundance: Solitary (1 per transect)
Abundance is calculated as the average number of individuals recorded per RLS transect, where present.
Edit by: GJ Edgar. 2008. Australian Marine Life. New Holland, Sydney