Mauritania country information

Common names: Agharde, Guitarra, Raie guitare
Occurrence: native
Salinity: brackish
Abundance: abundant (always seen in some numbers) | Ref: Maigret, J. and B. Ly, 1986
Importance: commercial | Ref: Maigret, J. and B. Ly, 1986
Aquaculture: | Ref:
Regulations: | Ref:
Uses: no uses
Comments: Very abundant in Banc d'Arguin and Levrier Bay (Ref. 5377). Individual catches measure between 1.2 and 2.0 m in length and weigh between 6 and 20 kg. Fish and fins are sold separately. Fins, the most lucrative parts, are sold as 'shark fins', a delicacy in Asian cuisine. After sun-drying, the fins are exported to Asian markets. Fresh fish flesh has hardly any value until these are processed by salting, drying and smoking. After which the processed flesh is then sold locally or exported to other West African countries like Mali, Burkina Faso, and Sierra Leone. Smoked Rhinobatos is almost entirely exported to the Gulf of Guinea states (Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin). Also Ref. 6675, 55783.
National Checklist:
Country Information: httpss://www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/geos/mr.html
National Fisheries Authority:
Occurrences: Occurrences Point map
Main Ref: Maigret, J. and B. Ly, 1986
National Database:

Classification / Names

() > Rhinopristiformes (Shovelnose rays) > Glaucostegidae (Giant guitarfishes) > Rhinobatinae
Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes (gen., sp.) | ITIS | CoL

Common names from other countries

Raie-guitare fouisseuse, Guitarra barbanegra, Mavrorinovatos, ... more

Main reference

Bauchot, M.-L. 1987. (Ref. 3261)
References | Biblio | Coordinator | Collaborators

Size / Weight / Age

Max length : 242 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 40637); common length : 150 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 3710); max. published weight: 49.9 kg (Ref. 40637)

Length at first maturity
L_m ?, range 153 - 164 cm

Environment

Marine; brackish; demersal; depth range 9 - 100 m

Climate / Range

Subtropical, preferred ?; 42°N - 17°S, 19°W - 36°E

Distribution

Eastern Atlantic: northern Portugal to Angola, including the Mediterranean Sea.
Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Introductions

Short description

Vertebrae: 68 - 73. This large to very large species has a plain beige to brownish wedge-shaped disc; long and rather broad triangular snout with a broadly rounded rostral cartilage at its tip and wide oblique nostrils with a narrow anterior opening; disc thickened centrally, length 1.2-1.3 times its width, anterior margins slightly undulate, often weakly concave before broadly rounded outer corner; snout moderately acute, its angle 59-63°, tip narrowly rounded not extended forward as a distinct lobe; large orbit, length 5-6 times in preorbital length, 1.5-2 in interorbital space; rostral ridges are narrowly separated posteriorly and almost joined anteriorly; 2 fleshy spiracular folds, with innermost fold smaller; upper jaw with 62-72 tooth rows; large and oblique nostrils, its length 1.4 in internasal width, ca 81 nasal lamellae, anterior nasal flaps are confined to anterior margin of nostril; rough skin covered entirely with small denticles; well-developed thorns, usually along edge of rostral cartilage and small patches around orbits and above spiracles; each shoulders with 1-3 thorns that persist in adults, a median row of enlarged thorns extending from nape to first dorsal fin, a few thorns between dorsal fin; long tail ca 1.5 times its disc length; dorsal fins are large and widely spaced, ca. 2.1 times base length of first dorsal fin, apices narrowly rounded; pectoral fin radials 68-73; 204-212 total vertebrae (Ref. 114953).

A coastal and benthic species found on sandy and muddy bottoms, intertidal zone to at least 80 m depth. Feeds mainly on benthic crustaceans and small fishes. Maximum length would probably reach up to 265 cm TL, common at about 200 cm TL. Males mature at 138-154 cm TL, females at 153-164 cm TL. In the Mediterranean Sea, males mature at smaller size, about 100-110 cm TL and females at about 110 cm TL. Size at birth about 34 cm TL. Produces litters up to 20 pups (more common 6-7 pups) (Ref. 114953). Ovoviviparous, one or two litters per year, of 4-6 embryos.

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 115185)

Endangered (EN) (A4bd)

Threat to humans

Harmless

Human uses

Fisheries: minor commercial; gamefish: yes

More information

Countries
FAO areas
Ecosystems
Occurrences
Introductions
Stocks
Ecology
Diet
Food items
Food consumption
Ration

Common names
Synonyms
Metabolism
Predators
Ecotoxicology
Reproduction
Maturity
Spawning
Fecundity
Eggs
Egg development

Age/Size
Growth
Length-weight
Length-length
Length-frequencies
Morphometrics
Morphology
Larvae
Larval dynamics
Recruitment
Abundance

References
Aquaculture
Aquaculture profile
Strains
Genetics
Allele frequencies
Heritability
Diseases
Processing
Mass conversion

Collaborators
Pictures
Stamps, Coins
Sounds
Ciguatera
Speed
Swim. type
Gill area
Otoliths
Brains
Vision

Tools

Special reports

Check for Aquarium maintenance | Check for Species Fact Sheets | Check for Aquaculture Fact Sheets

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Summary page | Point data | Common names | Photos

Internet sources

Estimates of some properties based on models

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82805)
PD₅₀ = 0.6250 many relatives (e.g. carps) 0.5 - 2.0 few relatives (e.g. lungfishes)

Trophic Level (Ref. 69278)
4.0 ±0.70 se; Based on food items.

Resilience (Ref. 69278)
Very Low, minimum population doubling time more than 14 years (Fec=4)

Vulnerability (Ref. 59153)
Very high vulnerability (83 of 100)

Price category (Ref. 80766)
Low

Glaucostegus cemiculus (Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1817)