Common names
Arzobispo, Gavilán lusitánico, Aigle de mer, Mourine lusitanienne, Mourine à tête échancrée, Mourine échancrée, Raie boeuf, Raie chauve-souris, Lusitanian cow-nose ray, Lusitanian cownose ray, Rinottera, Gavião-do-mar

Short Description
Field marks and Diagnostic Features after EBERT & STEHMANN, 2013 [17836]: Field Marks: Disc transversally lozenge-shaped, about twice as wide as long, with sharply angled outer corners. Head elevated from disc, with eyes and spiracles on sides of head; snout short, with short subrostral lobe deeply notched medially, thus appearing bilobed; radials of subrostral lobe and pectoral fin are separated by a short gap. Undamaged tail nearly three times longer than disc, with a single, small dorsal fin on base and one or more long, serrated spines originating directly behind dorsal fin; thereafter, tail abruptly thinner like a whip-lash. Usually nine rows of flat, rectangular thick teeth in upper, seven in lower jaw forming pavement of very massive grinding plates; teeth in middle row of upper jaw at most three times as broad as long, teeth in next adjacent row either side about the same. Colour above uniformly greenish brown to bronze; underside whitish, with disc margins and wing tips darker, tail dark. Diagnostic Features: Disc transversally lozenge-shaped, about twice as wide as long, with anterior margins straight to weakly convex, sharply angled outer corners and deeply concave posterior margins; head elevated from disc, with eyes and spiracles on sides of head; snout short, with forehead bulbous and medially concave; short subrostral lobe deeply notched medially, thus appearing bilobed, and on deeper level than anterior pectoral fins proper, and radials of subrostral lobe and pectoral fin are separated by a short gap. Pelvic fins subrectangular unilobed, longer than wide. Tail, if undamaged, nearly three times longer than disc, with a single, small dorsal fin on base situated entirely anterior to level of pelvic fins posterior margins; one or more long, serrated spines originating directly behind dorsal fin; thereafter, the tail becoming rapidly thinner like a whip-lash. Skin smooth on upper and lower surfaces, but large specimens may show some prickles above along midbody. Usually nine rows of flat, rectangular thick teeth in upper, seven in lower jaw forming pavement of very massive grinding plates; teeth in middle row of upper jaw at most three times as broad as long, teeth in next adjacent row either side about the same and in any case broader than small pentagonal teeth in outer rows either side; occasionally more than nine upper jaw tooth rows. Colour: above uniformly greenish brown to bronze; underside whitish, with disc margins and wing tips darker, tail dark.

Distribution
Eastern Atlantic: southern Spain to Senegal, including the Mediterranean. First records: 2012: in Iskenderun Bay, Turkey, eastern Mediterranean Sea [15154]; Source: www.gbif.org

Human uses
fisheries: commercial

Biology
Exhibit ovoviparity (aplacental viviparity), with embryos feeding initially on yolk, then receiving additional nourishment from the mother by indirect absorption of uterine fluid enriched with mucus, fat or protein through specialised structures [733]. Found in tropical to warm temperate coastal waters, but absent from islands of western Pacific. Often forming large groups swimming near the surface and quite destructive of commercial oyster and clam beds. Feeds on bottom-living molluscs, crustaceans and fishes.

Size / Weight / Age
200 cm WD (male/unsexed; (Ref. 6678))

Habitat
benthopelagic; marine

Remarks
shark-references Species-ID=6068;

Parasites (arranged by Jürgen Pollerspöck)
Cestoda

• Duplicibothrium jeannettae Stephan & Caira, 2022 [30539]
• Nanoduplicibothrium jillae (Stephan & Caira, 2022) [30539]
• Rhinoptericola megacantha Carvajal & Campbell, 1975 [30611] [32402]

Copepoda

• Pseudocharopinus malleus (Rudolphi in Von Nordmann, 1832) [16609]