Glaucostegus halavi (Forsskål, 1775)
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 halavi guitarfish (Glaucostegus halavi) is a critically endangered species of ray in the Glaucostegidae family. It is found in the Indo-West Pacific (Red Sea to Gulf of Oman, with unconfirmed records in the area east of Oman). It has only been recorded twice, in 1997 and 2004, in the levantine waters, the question of its permanent settlement in the Mediterranean Sea remains open. Its name is derived from the Arabic word حلاوي (halawi).
Halavi guitarfish are usually large with a short, wide snout with a rounded tip. They are typically a yellow/gray color, which helps them blend in on the sea floor. Averagely, they are born at around 29 cm, but can grow to be 171 cm.
They commonly prey on small molluscs and bony fish.
Wikipedia contributors, Halavi guitarfish; 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 halavi (Forsskål, 1775)
- Name authority
- (Forsskål, 1775)
- 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: no · 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 halavi (Forsskål, 1775)
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 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 |
| Glaucostegus typus (Anonymous [Bennett], 1830) | 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 (Scobatus) halavi (Forsskål, 1775) (Forsskål, 1775) | synonym |
| Rhinobatus halavi (Forsskål, 1775) (Forsskål, 1775) | synonym |
| Raia halavi Forsskål, 1775 Forsskål, 1775 | synonym |
| Rhinobatos halavi (Forsskål, 1775) (Forsskål, 1775) | synonym |
| Scobatus halavi (Forsskål, 1775) (Forsskål, 1775) | synonym |
| Raja halavi Forsskål, 1775 Forsskål, 1775 | 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=280874 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:6KH39. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.