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Eastern Shovelnose Ray
Aptychotrema rostrata (Shaw & Nodder, 1794)
An Eastern Shovelnose Ray at a depth of 12 m, at Nelson Bay, New South Wales. Photo © D. & L. Atkinson. View larger image.
An Eastern Shovelnose Ray at a depth of 21 m, North Solitary Island, New South Wales, September 2003. Photo © I. Shaw. View larger image.
An Eastern Shovelnose Ray at a depth of 10 m, at the Pipeline, Nelson Bay, New South Wales. Photo © G. McNeil. View larger image.
The Eastern Shovelnose Ray can be recognised by its wedge-shaped disc, its long triangular snout and its colouration. It is usually sandy-coloured above and may have darker blotches. The lower surface is white with irregular dark flecks.
This species grows to 1.2 m in length.
Its diet includes penaeid prawns, carid shrimps, stomatopods, crabs and other crustacea, as well as fishes and molluscs.
The Eastern Shovelnose Ray is endemic to Australia, occurring from southern Queensland to southern New South Wales.
It is usually seen in estuaries and on sandy substrates off beaches, but also occurs down to depths of 50 m.
View a map of the collecting localities of specimens in the Australian Museum Fish Collection.
The taxonomy of this genus requires further research. Three or four species of Aptychotrema live in Australian waters.
Related links
- Eastern Fiddler Ray fact sheet
- View the Rays list
Further reading
- Bush, A. 2005. Morphometric and diet study of the Eastern Shovelnose Ray, Aptychotrema rostrata from Newcastle, New South Wales. Unpublished student paper. Macquarie University. Pp. 16.
- Kuiter, R.H. 1993. Coastal Fishes of South-Eastern Australia. Crawford House Press. Pp. 437. (as A.bougainvillii)
- Kuiter, R.H. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. New Holland. Pp. 433.
- Last, P.R. & J.D. Stevens. 1994 Sharks and Rays of Australia. CSIRO. Pp. 513.
