Meet the Australian guitarfish that wears a translucent snout and a unique nasal curtain.

Nature · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Fiddler rays, or banjo rays, are gentle, bottom-dwelling creatures found along the Australian coast. These cartilaginous fish are easily identified by their rounded pectoral discs, slender tails, and a peculiar nasal curtain fused to their mouths. Though often caught as bycatch, these harmless rays remain a fascinating marine mystery.

The genus Trygonorrhina, commonly known as fiddler or banjo rays, belongs to the family Rhinobatidae. These benthic fish favor shallow, sandy bays, rocky reefs, and seagrass beds along the eastern and southern coasts of Australia. While they share the general guitarfish body plan, they are physically distinct due to their shorter, more rounded pectoral fin discs and translucent snouts. Perhaps their most unusual feature is the nasal curtain, formed by anterior nasal flaps that are expanded backwards and fused together to reach the mouth.

Dietary habits for these rays involve foraging on the seafloor for worms, crabs, and shellfish, which they crush with their powerful jaws. The eastern fiddler ray has even been observed scavenging from fish traps. Reproduction is ovoviviparous, meaning the embryos develop inside egg capsules before birth. For the southern fiddler ray, these capsules are golden and typically contain three embryos, with females producing litters of four to six young per cycle. Despite their size—reaching up to 120 cm for the eastern species and up to 180 cm for the southern variety—they are considered harmless and are known to be easily approached by divers.

The classification of these rays has seen updates, such as the Magpie fiddler ray now being recognized as a variant of Trygonorrhina dumerilii. While the southern fiddler ray is currently rated as least concern on the IUCN Red List, they face pressure from commercial trawlers and recreational fishing, where they are frequently taken as bycatch. Although their flesh is of good quality and sold in limited quantities, their primary role remains that of a unique, endemic inhabitant of Australian waters, thriving in environments ranging from open seas to coastal reefs.

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