Have you ever visited an aquarium – for example, Mississippi Aquarium’s Aquatic Wonders touch pool – and noticed an animal that appears to be a cross between a shark and a ray? These unique-looking fishes are called guitarfishes because their bodies are shaped like … guitars. Together, 37 species comprise the Rhinobatidae family, one of five “rhino ray” families.
The fact that guitarfishes are named after a musical instrument seems a bit bizarre. Surprisingly, it’s quite ordinary compared to the remarkable story of the invisible trade of guitarfishes, recently published in the journal Conservation Biology by University of Southern Mississippi Graduate Student Bryan Huerta-Beltrán and colleagues.
Guitarfishes are one of the most threatened vertebrate groups in the world, with two-thirds of species categorized as threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Guitarfishes inhabit shallow, coastal waters; as such, their plight is due in part to both targeted fishing and being caught as bycatch.
Once captured, guitarfishes are often sold whole and fresh for consumption, providing a good source of inexpensive protein. However, in some countries – particularly Mexico – guitarfishes are dried and then meticulously cut and shaped into mythical creatures that sell for much higher prices (up to $500 USD on e-commerce sites like eBay!). These modified guitarfishes, known as pez diablo (devil fish), are valued as curios among tourists and in alternative medicine as remedies for cancer, arthritis and anemia.
Although this practice has persisted since the mid-20th century, the production and trade of pez diablo has gone largely unnoticed and unregulated, posing a threat to imperiled guitarfishes. Furthermore, many guitarfishes used for pez diablo have been modified so extensively that they no longer resemble guitarfishes at all. This makes it difficult for scientists to identify the guitarfishes that are modified and traded, and for agencies to enforce guitarfish trade.
Despite these challenges, recent advances in molecular techniques are enabling scientists to use small samples of pez diablo tissue to genetically identify the species of guitarfishes that are being used to create the pez diablo. These details will provide an improved understanding of pez diablo trade and, in turn, guide future conservation and management of guitarfishes.
Meet the author
Amanda Jargowsky
Marine Fisheries Specialist
Amanda Jargowsky is a marine fisheries specialist with the MASGC-supported Marine Fisheries Ecology Program at the Mississippi State University Coastal Research and Extension Center. She conducted... Read more
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