Kingdom Animalia Genus Aptychotrema Phylum Chordata Rank Species | Family Rhinobatidae Scientific name Aptychotrema rostrata Higher classification Aptychotrema Order Rajiformes | |
 | ||
Similar Aptychotrema, Common shovelnose ray, Shovelnose guitarfish, Fiddler ray, Glaucostegus | ||
Wobbegong shark vs eastern shovelnose ray at moreton island
The eastern shovelnose ray (Aptychotrema rostrata) is a species of guitarfish, family Rhinobatidae.
Contents
The eastern shovenose ray is endemic to subtropical and temperate waters of Australia’s east coast, from off Halifax Bay (Queensland) to Merimbula (New South Wales). It typically lives on the continental shelf, inhabiting sandflats, mudflats and seagrass beds in bays, estuaries, river mouths, around rocky reefs and in surf zones to depths of about 100 m.
Using microspectrophotometry, this species was shown to have three spectrally distinct cone visual pigments with wavelengths of maximum absorbance of 459, 492 and 553 nm, and rods peaking at 498 nm. This suggests this species may have colour vision - perhaps trichromatic. The giant shovelnose ray (Rhinobatos typus') also had three different cone types of a similar nature and was found to be able to discriminate colour when behaviourally tested.
It is used as seafood.
Eastern shovelnose ray
