Glaucostegus | |
---|---|
Giant guitarfish (G. typus) | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Chondrichthyes |
Subclass: | Elasmobranchii |
Order: | Rhinopristiformes |
Family: |
Glaucostegidae Last, Séret & Naylor, 2016 |
Genus: |
Glaucostegus Bonaparte, 1846 |
Glaucostegus, also known as giant guitarfishes, is a genus of large Indo-Pacific rays, with a single species, G. cemiculus, in the East Atlantic and Mediterranean. They were formerly classified in the family Rhinobatidae but are now recognized as a distinct family, Glaucostegidae.
Their upperparts are uniform pale yellowish, brownish or greyish, and the nose is pale. Most are large, reaching 1.7–3 m (5.6–9.8 ft) in length depending on the exact species involved, except for the small G. obtusos that is less than 1 m (3.3 ft).
There are six recognized species: