Halavi guitarfish

Halavi guitarfish
Conservation status
Critically Endangered (IUCN 3.1)[1]
CITES Appendix II [2]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Chondrichthyes
Subclass:	Elasmobranchii
Order:	Rhinopristiformes
Family:	Glaucostegidae
Genus:	Glaucostegus
Species:	G. halavi
Binomial name
Glaucostegus halavi (Forsskål, 1775)
Synonyms
Rhinobatus halavi (Forsskål , 1775) Raja halavi Forsskål, 1775

The halavi guitarfish (Glaucostegus halavi) ^[1] is a critically endangered species of ray in the Glaucostegidae family. It is found in the Indo-West Pacific (Red Sea to Gulf of Oman, with unconfirmed records in the area east of Oman).^[3] It has only been recorded twice, in 1997 and 2004, in the levantine waters, the question of its permanent settlement in the Mediterranean Sea remains open.^[4] Its name is derived from the Arabic word حلاوي (halawi).^[5]

Halavi guitarfish are usually large with a short, wide snout with a rounded tip. They are typically a yellow/gray color, which helps them blend in on the sea floor. Averagely, they are born at around 29cm, but can grow to be 171 cm.^[6]

They commonly prey on small molluscs and bony fish.^[3]

References