An annotated checklist of the chondrichthyans of South Africa Author Ebert, David A. Author Wintner, Sabine P. 0000-0001-7350-5999 Author Kyne, Peter M. 0000-0003-4494-2625 debert@mlml.calstate.edu text Zootaxa 2021 2021-03-17 4947 1 1 127 journal article 7365 10.11646/zootaxa.4947.1.1 74dc998a-dc7a-4b02-b43c-a2064c9c6dc2 1175-5326 4614567 7F3B4794-65CF-4691-A330-78A423F2606F Acroteriobatus blochii (Müller & Henle, 1841 ) Bluntnose Guitarfish Rhinobatus ( Syrrhina ) blochii (M̹ller & Henle, 1841 ): 115, fig. 1, pl. 37. Syntypes : (originally 14, stuffed) MNHN 0000-1256 (1), MNHN 0000-3460 (1 dry), MNHN 0000-3471 (1), MNHN 0000-3473 (1 dry), MNHN 0000- 3474 (1 dry), MNHN A-7853 (1), MNHN A-7854 (3); ZMB 4547 (1). Type locality: Cape of Good Hope , South Africa . Local synonymy : Rhinobatus blochii : M̹ller & Henle, 1841: 115 , fig. 1, pl. 37; Norman, 1926: 969 . Rhinobatus blochi : Thompson, 1914: 154 ; Barnard, 1925: 61 . Rhinobatos blochii : Smith, 1949a: 64 , fig. 61 (in part, not fig. 61 = A. leucospilus ), pl. 3; Compagno, 1986: 130 , fig. 27.3, pl. 4; Compagno et al ., 1989: 76 , pl.; Compagno, 1999: 116 . Acroteriobatus blochii : NPOA, 2013: 57 ; da Silva et al ., 2015: 247 ; Ebert & van Hees, 2015: 146 ; Last et al ., 2016b: 465 ; Séret, 2016: 1360 ; Séret et al ., 2016a: 80 , fig. 10.2; Weigmann, 2016: 920 . South Africa voucher material : See above for details on syntypes . South African distribution : West coast from the Orange River (NC) to Langebaan Lagoon (WC). Its distribution eastwards may extend to Cape Point, but if so, it is rare south of Langebaan . Remarks : Acroteriobatus blochii was once considered to be very rare and known from only a few specimens, but it was frequently misidentified as A. annulatus along the west coast of South Africa and Namibia . A coastal survey conducted along the west coast of South Africa and Namibia (D.A. Ebert & P.D. Cowley, unpubl. data) revealed this to be the most common guitarfish along the west coast, mostly replacing A. annulatus north of Langebaan Lagoon (WC) and extending into at least central Namibia ( Compagno et al ., 1989 ). Conservation status : LC (2019).