Rhinoptera marginata

Rhinoptera marginata, the Lusitanian cownose ray, is a species of ray found along the western coast of Africa and Mediterranean Sea. It is apparently rare in the Mediterranean Sea, but is common in shallow waters off the western Africa.^[2]

Rhinoptera marginata
Conservation status
Critically Endangered  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Chondrichthyes
Subclass:	Elasmobranchii
Order:	Myliobatiformes
Family:	Rhinopteridae
Genus:	Rhinoptera
Species:	R. marginata
Binomial name
Rhinoptera marginata (Saint-Hilaire, 1817)

In February 2024, the species was added to the appendices of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals, with the species added to Appendix II, and the Mediterranean Sea population of the same species added to Appendix I.

Description

Its maximum width is 2 m (6.6 ft).^[3]

Distribution

It is found in the eastern Atlantic from Portugal to the Central African coast^[1] and in the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea.^[4]

Life cycle

They exhibit ovoviviparity (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.