Common names
Norman"s shovelnose ray, Smoothback guitarfish

Short Description
Diagnosis after Last et al. 2019 [27190]: A medium-sized species of the genus Rhinobatos (attaining at least 760 mm TL) distinguished by the following combination of characters: disc wedge-shaped, rather large, width 35–37% TL, length 1.2–1.3 times width; snout relatively short, length 2.5–2.7 times interspiracular distance, ~3.4 times interorbital width; orbit diameter 1.2–1.4 times spiracle length; nostrils moderately oblique, their length 1.3–1.5 times internarial distance; mouth width 6.3–6.9% TL; preoral length 5.5–5.9 times internarial distance; posterior nasal flaps broad; two spiracular folds, outermost fold subequal to marginally taller than inner fold; ridges of rostral cartilage almost parallel, widely separated, converging slightly anteriorly but not constricted medially; anterior cartilage weakly sickle shaped, almost truncate posteriorly; distance between fifth gill slits 2.5–2.7 times in ventral head length; prebranchial sensory pore system obvious, extending posteriorly to margin of first gill slit; postscapular sensory canal notched, with exposed lateral pores; weak thorn patches on supraorbit and scapular region, and row of rudimentary thorns (not conspicuous) along dorsal midline; denticles on dorsal fins densest anteriorly, more sparse posteriorly; dorsal fins small, height of first 7.7–8.1% TL; pelvic-fin inner margin subequal to or shorter than its base length; interdorsal distance 2.3–2.9 times first dorsal-fin base; dorsal caudal margin 1.9–2.0 times preventral margin; upper jaw with ~118 tooth rows; snout angle ~61°; 68–72 pectoral radials; ~164 post-synarcual centra; ~49 nasal lamellae; dorsal fins brownish anteriorly, dusky posteriorly and apically; dorsal disc of adults uniformly brown to greenish, with or without large, regularly spaced cloudy blotches (faint orange to dusky, more or less symmetrically arranged and of irregular sizes); ventral disc and tail pale; no large, black, teardrop marking on undersurface of snout.

Distribution
Indian Ocean: Off West Bengal in the Bay of Bengal (Hoogly River mouth) to the northwestern Andaman Sea (off Pathein Peninsula, Myanmar) [27190]; Bangladesh (see image)

Human uses
fisheries: minor commercial; price category: low; price reliability: questionable: based on ex-vessel price for species in this genus

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].

Habitat
demersal; amphidromous [17660]; brackish; marine

Remarks
shark-references Species-ID=5950;