shovelnose guitarfish
Pseudobatos productus
Ray of bays, estuaries and shallow bottoms of the Pacific, from San Francisco to the Gulf of California, which is also caught on rod and line.
Also called: raia-viola-de-focinho-de-pá, guitarra viola, guitarra trompa pala, shovelnose guitarfish
- maximum
- 119 cm
- record/max.
- 9.8 kg
- depth
- 1–13 m
who is the shovelnose guitarfish
The shovelnose guitarfish belongs to the family Rhinobatidae and reaches 119 cm and 9.8 kg. It lives on sand and mud bottoms of bays, seagrass beds and estuaries, and also near rocky reefs, usually at 1 to 13 m deep. It is nomadic and gregarious. During the day it buries itself in the sand, and at night it leaves to feed on crabs, worms, mollusks and small fish. It is ovoviviparous, with 6 to 28 pups per litter, born at 20 to 24 cm. During the breeding season, males and females gather in shallow bays. It is caught on rod and line and also in commercial fishing.
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 shovelnose guitarfish; in the meantime, see the similar species.
fun facts
- It can live up to 16 years.
- Females mature at around 7 years, at 87 to 99 cm.
identification
Ray with a disc longer than wide, guitar-shaped, with a long, pointed snout with a rounded tip, and an almost smooth back. A row of spines runs around the eyes and along the back and tail. The teeth are small and rounded, pebble-shaped. The first dorsal fin starts closer to the pelvic fin than to the caudal fin, and the caudal fin is large, with no clear lower lobe. In the Mexican Pacific there is also the whitesnout guitarfish, which lives farther south, from Mazatlán to Ecuador.
Loading the next 7 days…
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 San Francisco, in the USA, to the Gulf of California in Mexico, and possibly as far as Mazatlán, in bays, lagoons and estuaries.
Habitat: Sand and mud bottoms of bays and estuaries, seagrass beds and rocky reefs, 1 to 13 m deep.
when to fish
best time of day
Nighttime. According to the source, it stays buried in the sand during the day and feeds at night.
rules for the shovelnose 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 with no serious danger, but with a row of spines on its back and tail. 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 = 0.00209, b = 3.1; 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 productus (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 productusNames by country and language.
