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Rhina ancylostoma, also known as the bowmouth guitarfish, shark ray or mud skate, is a species of ray and a member of the family Rhinidae. Its evolutionary affinities are not fully resolved, though it may be related to true guitarfishes and skates .
The ISRA criteria take into account the complex biological and ecological needs of sharks. There are four criteria and seven sub-criteria. Important Shark and Ray Areas (ISRA) are discrete three-dimensional portions of habitat that are important for one or more species of chondrichthyans (sharks, rays and chimaeras) and have the potential to be managed for conservation. [1]
Batoid gill slits lie under the pectoral fins on the underside, whereas a shark's are on the sides of the head. Most batoids have a flat, disk-like body, with the exception of the guitarfishes and sawfishes, while most sharks have a spindle-shaped body. Many species of batoid have developed their pectoral fins into broad flat wing-like appendages.
Guitarfish have a body form intermediate between those of sharks and rays. The tail has a typical shark-like form, but in many species, the head has a triangular, or guitar-like shape, rather than the disc-shape formed by fusion with the pectoral fins found in other rays.
A pink manta ray has been observed in Australia's Great Barrier Reef and scientists believe this could be due to a genetic mutation causing erythrism. [23] The fish, spotted near Lady Elliot Island, is the world's only known pink manta ray. [24] [25] M. alfredi with mouth closed, cephalic fins rolled and ventral surface showing distinctive markings
Skates are cartilaginous fish belonging to the family Rajidae in the superorder Batoidea of rays.More than 150 species have been described, in 17 genera. [2] Softnose skates and pygmy skates were previously treated as subfamilies of Rajidae (Arhynchobatinae and Gurgesiellinae), but are now considered as distinct families. [2]
The Thornback ray is found in the Atlantic coastal waters of Europe and western Africa. It is also present from South Africa to the southwestern Indian Ocean [2] and in the Mediterranean and Black Seas. [3] It is native possibly as far south as Namibia and South Africa. [2] Its natural habitats are open large seas and shallow seas.
The ray is commonly caught in the Java Sea by fishermen trawling and by Danish seine boats in large quantities. The blue-spotted stingray is the second-most significant species of the shark, ray, and skate families to be fished, contributing to about 700 kg (1,500 lb) per boat in 2006–2007.