The guitarfish, also referred to as shovelnose rays, are a family, Rhinobatidae, of rays. The guitarfish are known for an elongated body with a flattened head and trunk and small, ray-like wings. The combined range of the various species is tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate waters worldwide.
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.
Guitarfish are bottom feeders that bury themselves in mud or sand and eat worms, crabs, and clams. Some can tolerate salt, fresh, and brackish water. They generally live close to the beach/coastline or in estuaries.
Per the myDiveguide.com database, the Maldives is the area with the most recorded guitarfish encounters, mainly in the Northern Atolls. The dive site with the most recorded guitarfish encounters worldwide is Maroshi Thila near Shaviyani Atoll.
Guitarfish can be ovoviviparous; the embryo matures inside an egg within the mother until it is ready to hatch. This is typical of rays.
Illegal trade and fishing of guitarfish, especially the critically endangered Pseudobatos horkelii, for elasmobranch products poses one of the largest threats to this ancient group of animals.
Top-rated dive sites where divers have spotted Guitarfish.
