Guitarfish

Guitarfishes are flattened cartilaginous fishes with broad, guitar-shaped bodies that combine traits of sharks and rays. They belong to the ray group Batoidea.

Batoidea: Batoidea is the group of cartilaginous fishes that includes rays, skates, and their relatives. Guitarfishes are batoids, despite their shark-like tails and body outlines.
Pectoral fin: A pectoral fin is a paired fin attached to the side of a fish's body. Guitarfishes use enlarged pectoral fins to shape their flattened front body and maneuver near the seabed.
Bycatch: Bycatch is the unintended capture of organisms during fishing directed at other species. Guitarfishes are caught incidentally in several fisheries, including bottom-set nets and trawls.
Overfishing: Overfishing occurs when fish are removed faster than populations can replace them. Fishing pressure threatens guitarfishes, which often mature late and produce relatively few young.
Cryptic species: Cryptic species are distinct species that are difficult to distinguish by appearance alone. Similar-looking guitarfishes can conceal genetic diversity and complicate species counts.
Chondrichthyes: Chondrichthyes is the class of fishes with skeletons made primarily of cartilage. Guitarfishes belong to this class, alongside sharks and other batoids.
Spiracle: A spiracle is an opening behind the eye that lets some fishes draw water toward the gills. A guitarfish can take in water through its spiracles while resting on the bottom.
Bottom trawling: Bottom trawling is fishing with a net dragged along the seafloor. This fishing method can capture guitarfishes that live or feed near the seabed.
Shark finning: Shark finning is the removal of a shark's fins, often followed by discarding its body. Guitarfish fins are also traded, exposing some species to demand associated with shark-fin markets.
DNA barcoding: DNA barcoding identifies organisms by comparing a short, standardized DNA sequence. Genetic identification can help resolve uncertain guitarfish specimens and species boundaries.

Linked from 3 pages