''Acroteriobatus'' is a genus of

fish Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of li ...

in the Rhinobatidae family. Although its constituent species were previously assigned to '' Rhinobatos'', recent authors treat it as distinct. They are found near the shore off

southern Africa Southern Africa is the southernmost subregion of the African continent, south of the Congo and Tanzania. The physical location is the large part of Africa to the south of the extensive Congo River basin. Southern Africa is home to a number of ...

and in the northwestern

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by th ...

. They are brownish above, often with a spotted pattern, and reach up to depending on the exact species.

Species

There are eight currently recognized species in this genus: * ''

Acroteriobatus andysabini ''Acroteriobatus'' is a genus of fish in the Rhinobatidae family. Although its constituent species were previously assigned to '' Rhinobatos'', recent authors treat it as distinct. They are found near the shore off southern Africa and in the no ...

'' (2021) (Malagasy blue-spotted guitarfish) * ''

Acroteriobatus annulatus The lesser guitarfish or lesser sandshark (''Acroteriobatus annulatus'') is a species of fish in the Rhinobatidae family. It is found in Angola, Namibia, South Africa, and possibly Mozambique. Its natural habitats are shallow seas and estuarine ...

'' ( J. P. Müller &

Henle Henle can refer to: * Friedrich Gustav Jakob Henle, a German physician, pathologist and anatomist (1809–1885) ** Loop of Henle in the kidney, named after Henle *Fritz Henle, a photographer, known as "Mr. Rollei" for his use of the 2.25" square for ...

, 1841) (Lesser guitarfish) * ''

Acroteriobatus blochii The bluntnose guitarfish or fiddlefish (''Rhinobatos blochii'') is a species of fish in the Rhinobatidae family. It is found in Namibia and South Africa. Its natural habitats are shallow seas and estuarine waters. It is threatened by habitat lo ...

'' ( J. P. Müller &

, 1841) (Bluntnose guitarfish) * '' Acroteriobatus leucospilus'' (

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

, 1926) (Grayspotted guitarfish) * '' Acroteriobatus ocellatus'' (

, 1926) (Speckled guitarfish) * ''

Acroteriobatus omanensis ''Acroteriobatus'' is a genus of fish in the Rhinobatidae family. Although its constituent species were previously assigned to ''Rhinobatos'', recent authors treat it as distinct. They are found near the shore off southern Africa and in the nor ...

'' Last, Hendeson & Naylor, 2016 (Oman guitarfish) * ''

Acroteriobatus salalah The Salalah guitarfish (''Rhinobatos salalah'') is a species of fish in the Rhinobatidae family. It is nearly endemic to the waters off Oman, with a few records off Pakistan. Its natural habitat is open seas. Salalah (صَلَالَة Ṣalālah ...

'' ( J. E. Randall & Compagno, 1995) (Salalah guitarfish) * ''

Acroteriobatus stehmanni ''Acroteriobatus'' is a genus of fish in the Rhinobatidae family. Although its constituent species were previously assigned to ''Rhinobatos'', recent authors treat it as distinct. They are found near the shore off southern Africa and in the nor ...

'' (2021) (Socotra blue-spotted guitarfish) * ''

Acroteriobatus variegatus The stripenose guitarfish (''Acroteriobatus variegatus'') is a species of fish in the Rhinobatidae family endemic to the eastern coast of India, and Sri Lanka. Its natural habitat is in the neritic zone.Kyne, P.M., Simpfendorfer, C., Bineesh, ...

'' (

Nair The Nair , also known as Nayar, are a group of Indian Hindu castes, described by anthropologist Kathleen Gough as "not a unitary group but a named category of castes". The Nair include several castes and many subdivisions, not all of whom histor ...

& Lal Mohan, 1973) (Stripenose guitarfish) * ''

Acroteriobatus zanzibarensis The Zanzibar guitarfish (''Rhinobatos zanzibarensis'') is a species of fish in the Rhinobatidae family endemic to Tanzania. Its natural habitats are open sea The sea, connected as the world ocean or simply the ocean, is the body of salty ...

'' (

, 1926) (Zanzibar guitarfish)

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q25395662 Ray genera