Speckled Guitarfish, Slaty-Spotted Guitarfish
Guitarra Punteada
(Rhinobatos glaucostigna)

Speckled Guitarfish, Rhinobatos glaucostigna: The Speckled Guitarfish has an upper surface that is brown with symmetrically arranged slated grey spots around the eyes and on the extreme upper back (as pictured below).

The underside of the Speckled Guitarfish is white with irregular black patches under the snout. The first dorsal fin is two times taller than wide, with the origin well behind the pectoral fins about the same distance found between the two dorsal fins. The pectoral and pelvic fins have pale margins.

The Speckled Guitarfish has a moderately long snout with a blunt point. The mouth is straight and the nostrils are long and oblique. The skin is covered with minute dentricles but is smooth to the touch. There is a series of small, blunt spines along the middle of the back, on each shoulder, above each eye, and around the spiracles.

The Speckled Guitarfish reaches a maximum size of 30 inches and about 8 pounds. It is found in shallow, coastal waters over sandy or mud bottoms, normally in the first 150 feet of the water column.

Although very similar in size and shape to several other guitarfish, the Speckled Guitarfish is the only species with slate grey spots on its head and upper back, making it very easy to identify. In Mexican waters it is found from Magdalena Bay south along the Pacific side of Baja California, in the lower half of the Sea of Cortez, and along the coast of the Mexican mainland south to Guatemala.

The Speckled Guitarfish is a member of the Rhinobatidae Family, which includes guitarfish known in Mexico fishing areas as guitarras. They are characterized by a large, triangular head that incorporates the fused pectoral fins and tapers to a pointed snout. The eyes are found on the upper surface, while the mouth, nostril openings, and gill slits are on the underside. The remainder of the body is shark-like with a pair of similarly sized dorsal fins on the back and an asymmetrical caudal fin without a lower lobe.

Guitarfish feed on benthic invertebrates and small fish and are found demersal (on the bottom and at times partially submerged) over sand or mud bottoms. Offspring are born alive. Guitarfish are considered harmless to humans. There are a total of 35 global members of the Rhinobatos Genus, of which three are found in Mexican waters.

Speckeled Guitarfish Fish picture 1

Speckeled Guitarfish Fish picture 2

Speckeled Guitarfish Fish picture 3

Speckled Guitarfish, Rhinobatos glaucostigna: Donated to Mexfish.com during fishing by the commercial Mexican pangueros of Todos Santos, Baja California Sur, Mexico, June 2007. Size, 24 inches. Description and photos courtesy of John Snow.

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