Common names
Grayspot guitarfish, Grayspottted guitarfish, Greyspot guitarfish, Greyspot sandshark

Short Description
Diagnosis after WEIGMANN, EBERT & SÉRET, 2021 [29760]: A medium-sized Acroteriobatus species distinguished by the following combination of characters: dorsal surface smooth, without prominent thorns or tubercles, except for slightly enlarged granular denticles partially around orbital rims and rather regularly distributed along midline from nape to near first dorsal-fin origin; absent between dorsal fins and upper caudal fin. Snout semi-translucent with elongated bluish spots giving stripe-nosed appearance, numerous small bluish spots covering snout, pectoral, pelvic, dorsal, and caudal fins but not central disc on a sandy brown background with darker brown spots of varying sizes covering the disc, tail, fin bases, and fins, sometimes giving the caudal peduncle a striped appearance; outer edges of pectoral- and pelvic-fin margins blue, lateral tail folds white or striped blue and brown; ventral surface white. Nasal lamellae 37–41; upper jaw tooth row count ~60–75; 187–192 post-synarcual centra; 200–205 total vertebral segments; 63–70 total pectoral skeleton radials.

Distribution
the central Transkei coast (Eastern Cape Province) to the northern KwaZulu-Natal Province (South Africa) and Mozambique. Ebert et al. (2021), based on the examined material, extended its range to Zanzibar and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania [29760] Source: www.gbif.org

Human uses
fisheries: subsistence fisheries; gamefish: yes

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]. Bears 2 to 4 young [536].

Size / Weight / Age
120 cm TL (male/unsexed; [536])

Habitat
demersal; marine; depth range 0 - 100 m [29760]

Remarks
shark-references Species-ID=14411;