Glaucostegus typus (Anonymous [Bennett], 1830)
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The common shovelnose ray, giant shovelnose ray or giant guitarfish (Glaucostegus typus) is a species of fish in the Rhinobatidae family found in the central Indo-Pacific, ranging from India to the East China Sea, Solomon Islands and northern Australia. It is found in shallow coastal areas to a depth of at least 100 m (330 ft), including mangrove, estuaries and reportedly also in freshwaters. It reaches up to 2.7 m (8.9 ft) in length, and is greyish-brown to yellowish-brown above with a paler snout.
This species has been tested for colour vision using choice experiments that control for brightness. It was the first rigorous behavioural evidence for colour vision in any elasmobranch.
Wikipedia contributors, Common shovelnose ray; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T22:36:57.064110+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Glaucostegus typus (Anonymous [Bennett], 1830)
- Name authority
- (Anonymous [Bennett], 1830)
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Elasmobranchii
- Order
- Rhinopristiformes
- Family
- Glaucostegidae
- Genus
- Glaucostegus
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: yes · Freshwater: yes · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumChondrichthyes
- classElasmobranchii
- subclassNeoselachii
- infraclassBatoidea
- orderRhinopristiformes
- familyGlaucostegidae Last, Séret & Naylor, 2016
- genusGlaucostegus Bonaparte, 1846
- speciesGlaucostegus typus (Anonymous [Bennett], 1830)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Glaucostegus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Granulated guitarfishGlaucostegus granulatus (Cuvier, 1829) | GlaucostegidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Glaucostegus halavi (Forsskål, 1775) | GlaucostegidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Glaucostegus younholeei Habib & Islam, 2001 | GlaucostegidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Glaucostegus cemiculus (Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1817) | GlaucostegidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Glaucostegus microphthalmus (Teng, 1959) | GlaucostegidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Glaucostegus obtusus (Müller & Henle, 1841) | GlaucostegidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Glaucostegus thouin (Anonymous [Lacepède], 1798) | GlaucostegidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Rhinobatos armatus (Gray, 1834) (Gray, 1834) | synonym |
| Rhinobatos batillium Whitley, 1939 Whitley, 1939 | synonym |
| Rhinobatos typus (Anonymous [Bennett], 1830) (Anonymous [Bennett], 1830) | synonym |
| Rhinobatus armatus Gray, 1834 Gray, 1834 | synonym |
| Rhinobatus batillum Whitley, 1939 Whitley, 1939 | synonym |
| Rhinobatus typus Anonymous [Bennett], 1830 Anonymous [Bennett], 1830 | synonym |
| Rhinobatos batillum Whitley, 1939 Whitley, 1939 | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=280875 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:3G6MZ. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.