Eastern shovelnose ray

Eastern shovelnose ray
240px
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Chondrichthyes
Order:	Rajiformes
Family:	Rhinobatidae
Genus:	Aptychotrema
Species:	A. rostrata
Binomial name
Aptychotrema rostrata (G. Shaw, 1794)
Synonyms
Raja rostrata Shaw, 1794 Rhinobatus banksii Müller & Henle, 1841 Rhinobatus tuberculatus Macleay, 1882

The eastern shovelnose ray (Aptychotrema rostrata) is a species of guitarfish, family Rhinobatidae.

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.