The blackchin guitarfish

Raie-guitare fouisseuse (Rhinobatos cemiculus) COMMON NAME: Blackchin guitarfish

LATIN NAME : Rhinobatos cemiculus

FamilY: Rhinobatidae | Rhinobatinae

In the exhibition: the blackchin guitarfish can be seen in the “Cap au Sud” area.

Distribution: it lives in the Eastern Atlantic Ocean, from Portugal to Angola, and in the Mediterranean.

Environment: it is found on sandy or muddy bottoms, at depths of between 9 and 100 metres.

Diet: it feeds on fish and benthic invertebrates.

Description: its skin is grainy and uniformly beige; it has the appearance and colour of sand. Its rostral ridges are narrowly separated and its pectoral fins are moderately developed.

Reproduction: the guitarfish is ovoviviparous, i.e. it lays eggs that hatch inside the mother’s body. It has one or two litters a year, each containing 4 to 6 embryos.

Size: it measures 1.50 m on average, but may reach 2 metres. The record to date is 2.42 m.

Threats and protective measures: the blackchin guitarfish is an endangered species and is on the IUCN “red list”.
http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/63132/0

Dans l’exposition : la raie- guitare est visible dans l’espace Cap au Sud.

In the context of species biodiversity, special features and ability to occupy a place in the ecosystem: guitarfish seem to be a mix between rays (front section) and sharks (rear section). The Rhinobatos family is characterized by a very flat body, with the dorsal fins situated behind the pelvic fins. These rays do not have a lower caudal lobe.

There are 43 species of guitarfish in the Rhinobatidae family.Sea guitarfish use their stingless tails to swim, whereas other rays use their pectoral fins.

Services rendered to man: this species is eaten in Israel and Sicily (sold on the markets), and occasionally in Tunisia and Morocco.