Rhinobatos sainsburyi n.sp. and Aptychotrema timorensis n.sp.—two new shovelnose rays (Batoidea: Rhinobatidae) from the eastern Indian Ocean
Abstract
Two new shovelnose rays, Rhinobatos sainsburyi n.sp. and Aptychotrema timorensis n.sp., are described from the continental shelf off northwestern Australia. Rhinobatos sainsburyi belongs to an unresolved supraspecific complex that includes the type of the genus, R. rhinobatos (Linnaeus), and at least 9 other species that occur in the Indo-Pacific. Rhinobatos sainsburyi differs from these species by a combination of morphometry, squamation and colour. Aptychotrema timorensis, a third valid member of an endemic Australian genus, differs from its congeners in morphometry, and in having a narrower snout apex, fewer caudal vertebrae, and white spots on its dorsal surface.
