Acroteriobatus annulatus (Smith, 1841)

Ebert, David A., Wintner, Sabine P. & Kyne, Peter M., 2021, An annotated checklist of the chondrichthyans of South Africa, Zootaxa 4947 (1), pp. 1-127 : 74-75

Acroteriobatus annulatus (Smith, 1841)

Lesser Guitarfish

Rhinobatus (Syrrhina) annulatus Smith [A.], in M̹ller & Henle, 1841: 116. Syntypes: (2) BMNH 1843.2 .29.22 (1 stuffed), MNHN A-8586. Type locality: Cape of Good Hope , South Africa.

Local synonymy: Rhinobatus (Syrrhina) annulatus: Smith [A.], in M̹ller & Henle, 1841: 116; Smith [A.], 1849: pl. 16; Bleeker, 1860b: 58; Duméril, 1865: 487, fig. 6, pl. 10. Rhinobatos (Syrrhina) columnae (non Bonaparte): G̹nther, 1870: 446 (in part); Gilchrist, 1902: 167; Regan, 1908a: 242; Lampe, 1914: 215; Thompson, 1914: 155; Gilchrist & Thompson, 1916: 285. Rhinobatus blockii: Regan, 1908a: 242 (in part); Gilchrist & Thompson, 1911: 55. Rhinobatus annulatus: Garman, 1913: 272 ; von Bonde & Swart, 1923: 3; Barnard, 1925: 59, fig. 9a; Norman, 1926: 964, fig. 17; Fowler, 1934b: 408; von Bonde, 1934: 16; Fowler, 1941: 312; Barnard, 1947: 22, fig. 10, pl. 3; Barnard, 1959: 22, fig. 10, 10a, pl. 3; Wallace, 1967b: 27, fig. 14 (fig. 15 = R. austini ). Rhinobatus rhinobatus :? von Bonde & Swart, 1923: 3. Rhinobatos annulatus: Smith, 1949a: 64 , pl. 3; Smith, 1965: 64, pl. 3; Compagno, 1986: 129, fig. 27.2, pl. 4; Compagno et al., 1989: 76, pl.; Compagno et al., 1991: 88; Compagno, 1999: 116; Heemstra & Heemstra, 2004: 78; Mann, 2013: 147. Rhinobatus annulatus (Natal form): Wallace, 1967b: 27 (in part), fig. 15 (= Rhinobatos austini ). Acroteriobatus annulatus: NPOA, 2013: 57 ; da Silva et al., 2015: 247; Ebert & van Hees, 2015: 146; Last et al., 2016b: 465; Séret et al., 2016a: 79, fig. 10.1; Weigmann, 2016: 919.

South Africa voucher material: Syntypes see above for details. Non-types : SAIAB 4503 , SAIAB 7636 , SAIAB 19821 , SAIAB 26886 , SAIAB 39372 , SAIAB 41535 , SAIAB 44314 , SAIAB 44315 , SAIAB 44319 , SAIAB 44341 .

South African distribution:?Endemic. Confirmed along the west coast from at least Langebaan (WC) to off the Transkei coast (EC) and possibly to central KZN, but records from outside this region should be carefully checked.

Remarks: The range for A. annulatus is poorly defined since it has frequently been misidentified with other South African guitarfish species, including A. blochii , A. leucospilus , A. ocellatus , and R. austini . In addition, records of this species outside South Africa also require confirmation. The species may eventually prove to be a South African endemic.

Conservation status: VU (2020).