Banded guitarfish

The banded guitarfish, mottled guitarfish, prickly skate or striped guitarfish (Zapteryx exasperata) is a species of fish in the Rhinobatidae family found from shallow water to a depth of 200 m (660 ft) in the East Pacific from California, United States, to Mazatlan, Mexico, including the Gulf of California. The species has also been recorded further south (as far as Peru), but this likely involves its close relative, the southern banded guitarfish (Z. xyster). Banded guitarfish mate in March/April and give birth in shallow, sandy bays in late spring/summer. Litter sizes are 4-11 and the average birth size is 18 cm.