Common Name
Bignose Fanskate
Year Described
Garman, 1877
Identification
Median thorns: 21
Disk heart shaped with broad, rounded pectoral fins and a strongly concave anterior margin of disk. Snout very long (>10 times orbit) and soft with almost straight lateral edges. Skin mostly smooth with patches of prickles on outer pectoral fins and anterior disk. Ventrum quite smooth besides anterior margin and snout. There are no ocular or scapular thorns. A single row of thorns on midline from back of head to the first dorsal fin. Tail thick and about length of disk. Caudal fin long but low. Dorsal fins are paired far back on tail and are very close together. Pelvic fins with a shallow notch. Claspers large and broad. Mouth narrow. Teeth are conical and sharp (31-38).
Color
Uniformly brown with no markings. Sometimes has pale edging on snout and pelvic fins. Belly pale with occasional dark blotches.
Size
Maximum size to 62cm TL.
Habitat
A coastal species found up to 190m.
Range
Southwestern Atlantic: Brazil to Argentina.
References
Last, P.R., White, W.T., Carvalho, M.R. de, Séret, B., Stehmann, M.F.W & Naylor, G.J.P (Eds.). 2016. Rays of the World. CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne.
Other Notes
All other species of Sympterygia have much shorter snouts and a more mottled coloration.