witch guitarfish
Zapteryx xyster · Trygonorrhinidae · predator
Pacific guitarfish, from the southern Gulf of California to Peru. It turns up mainly as bycatch of gillnets and shrimp trawls, and is globally vulnerable.
Also called: raia-viola-bruxa, guitarra bruja, witch guitarfish
- maximum
- 78 cm
the right time
to be on the water
Choose the place and the species. The index, from 0 to 100, combines weather, sun, moon and tide with each fish's habits. Up to 28 days, with each day's confidence.
Reading the weather across 3 global models and 31 simulations…
—
hour by hour
slide your finger or mouse over the chart to see each hoursee hour-by-hour table
why this index at —?
choose the day
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.
the fishing month at a glance
what's the best window for the crew?
Choose how many fishing days. We compare each stretch by its average index, discount days with a warning or closed season, and show the 3 best.
trend for the coming weeks
Line: the middle value of 31 simulations of the American GEFS model. Band: where 8 out of 10 fall. Narrow, firm trend; wide, high uncertainty.
everything about the witch guitarfish
who is the witch guitarfish
The witch guitarfish belongs to the family Trygonorrhinidae and reaches 78 cm. It lives on the continental shelf, on rocky and sandy bottoms, near reefs, down to 150 m. It is a nocturnal predator, eating mostly small fish and shrimp. It is ovoviviparous, males mature around 47 cm and females around 45 cm. Pups are born at 18 cm. It is likely caught as bycatch of gillnets and shrimp trawls.
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 witch guitarfish; in the meantime, see the similar species.
identification
Ray with a flattened body, long disc and snout shaped like a guitar, and a tail with a caudal fin. The banded guitarfish, Zapteryx exasperata, lives from California to Mexico. This one lives from the southern Gulf of California to Peru, which helps tell the two apart.
where found
In Latin America it occurs from the southern Gulf of California, in Mexico, to Peru, passing through Colombia, Costa Rica and Panama, on rocky and sandy bottoms.
Habitat: Rocky and sandy shelf bottoms, near reefs, down to 150 m deep.
when to fish
best time of day
Nighttime. According to the source, it feeds at night.
rules for the witch 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, but globally vulnerable. Hold it by the disc, without pulling by the tail, and release it right away, with minimal handling.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.00724, b = 3.0; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
estimated weight
—
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: Zapteryx xyster (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Zapteryx xysterNames by country and language.
similar species
where each number comes from
The weather comes from three independent global models, cross-checked hour by hour: when they agree, confidence goes up; when they diverge, the band between them shows on the chart. Beyond 16 days, we use the GEFS ensemble of 31 simulations: if 20 of the 31 predict rain, the chance of rain is 65%. Sun and moon are calculated astronomically, with no uncertainty.
The index adds up, weighted for each species: time of day (species curve anchored to real sunrise and sunset), moon (transits, rise and set, phase), pressure (3 h trend and 24 h swing), water temperature (in rivers, estimated from air temperature; at sea, estimated by an ocean model), wind, rain, clouds, tide and the month in the species' cycle.
sources for this lookup
how accurate the forecast is
Accuracy measured in the reference project (4 regions, 93 days, forecast vs. observed): maximum temperature is off by 0.6 °C on average the next day and 1.7 °C at 7 days; rain of 5 mm or more is detected 76% of the time the next day and 57% at 7 days. Detection isn't everything: the false alarm rate isn't published here yet, and 93 days in 4 regions is still a small sample. We now also measure every day, at the app's destinations: