whitesnout guitarfish
Pseudobatos leucorhynchus
Shallow-water guitarfish of sandy bottoms in the Pacific, from Mexico to Ecuador, including the Galápagos. Vulnerable, and caught for subsistence.
Also called: raia-viola-de-focinho-branco, guitarra trompa blanca, guitarra, whitesnout guitarfish
- maximum
- 118 cm
- depth
- 2–8 m
who is the whitesnout guitarfish
The whitesnout guitarfish belongs to the family Rhinobatidae and reaches 118 cm. It lives in shallow waters, 2 to 8 m deep, on sandy bottoms, from Mexico to Ecuador and the Galápagos. It is benthic, meaning it lives on the bottom. It is ovoviviparous, with litters of 1 to 6 pups, born at 19 cm. Females mature at around 48 cm, and males at around 51 cm. It is caught for subsistence.
Essential profile. Identification, where it occurs and rules, with data from FishBase and the cited regulations. Season, time of day, technique and bait are added once we have a good source for the whitesnout guitarfish; in the meantime, see the similar species.
identification
Guitarfish with a disc longer than wide and a long snout with a rounded tip, like other Pacific guitarfish. The common name comes from its pale snout. To tell it apart from the shovelnose guitarfish, which also lives in the Mexican Pacific, look at the pale snout and the depth: this species lives in very shallow water, 2 to 8 m.
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Each card shows the day's index (0 to 100) and, below it, a strip with the index for each hour, from 0h to 23h. from poor to excellent.
Essential profile: the index uses a general fish model (weather, sun, moon and tide), without a season or time of day specific to this species.
where found
Eastern Pacific, from Mexico to Ecuador, including the Galápagos Islands, in shallow waters and sandy bottoms.
Habitat: Shallow waters, 2 to 8 m deep, over sandy bottoms.
rules for the whitesnout guitarfish
Summary of the regulations we found, with the source for each. Rules change; before keeping or transporting fish, check with the state environmental agency.
We found no species-specific rule beyond the region's general rules.
catch and release
catch and release Releasing the fish alive, quickly and with a wet hand. During a closed season it isn't always allowed: what the regulation says applies.
Ray that is harmless to the angler. Hold it by the disc, without pulling by the tail, and release it with minimal handling.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.00186, b = 3.12; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa da própria espécie)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
estimated weight
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sources and references
Essential profile: size, length-weight, depth, countries and conservation come from FishBase and the cited regulations, and the texts were written from those sources. Season, time of day, sensitivities, technique and baits and lures are not included yet, because we did not find a good source for this species.
- scientific FishBase: Pseudobatos leucorhynchus (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Pseudobatos leucorhynchusNames by country and language.