The broadnose wedgefish (''Rhynchobatus springeri'') is a species of fish in the

Rhinidae Wedgefishes are rays of the family Rhinidae, comprising eleven species in three genera. Classified in the order Rhinopristiformes along with guitarfishes and sawfishes, they have also been known as giant guitarfishes or sharkfin guitarfishes. T ...

family. It is found in coastal and estuarine habitats in southeast Asia, where documented from Java, Borneo, Singapore, the Philippines and Thailand.Compagno, L.J.V. and P.R. Last (2010). ''A new species of wedgefish, Rhynchobatus springeri (Rhynchobatoidei, Rhynchobatidae), from the Western Pacific.'' 77-88 pp. in: Last, P.R., White, W.T. & Pogonoski, J.J., eds.: Descriptions of new sharks and rays from Borneo. CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research Paper no. 32. It is threatened by habitat loss and

overfishing Overfishing is the removal of a species of fish (i.e. fishing) from a body of water at a rate greater than that the species can replenish its population naturally (i.e. the overexploitation of the fishery's existing fish stock), resulting in th ...

. This is a medium-sized species of ''

Rhynchobatus ''Rhynchobatus'' is a group of rays commonly known as wedgefishes in the family Rhinidae. They are found in the tropical and subtropical Indo-Pacific with a single species (''R. luebberti'') in the eastern Atlantic. All species in this genus are ...

'', which reaches a maximum length of about .

Etymology

The ray is named in honor of

Stewart Springer Stewart Springer (5 June 190623 August 1991) was an American ichthyologist and herpetologist. He was a world-renowned expert on shark behavior, classification (taxonomy), and population distribution. More than 35 species of sharks, skates, rays, ...

(5 June 1906 – 23 August 1991), because of his contributions to the systematics of ''Rhynchobatus''.

References

broadnose wedgefish The broadnose wedgefish (''Rhynchobatus springeri'') is a species of fish in the Rhinidae family. It is found in coastal and estuarine habitats in southeast Asia, where documented from Java, Borneo, Singapore, the Philippines and Thailand.Compagn ...

Marine fauna of Southeast Asia Taxa named by Leonard Compagno Taxa named by Peter R. Last Fish described in 2010 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Rajiformes-stub