KAGOSHIMA -- A ray that had been on display as a giant guitarfish for more than 20 years at the Kagoshima City Aquarium has recently been discovered to be of an entirely new species.
The new species was given the name rhynchobatus mononoke because when viewed from the ventral side it looks similar to a triangular cloth commonly depicted as being attached to the head of a Japanese ghost. The word mononoke means ghost or spirits in Japanese.
The thesis on the latest discovery was published in the journal of the Ichthyological Society of Japan on Sept. 20.
The aquarium has been breeding a number of giant guitarfish have been caught in fixed nets in Kagoshima Prefecture since its opening in 1997.
Groups of researchers including those at the aquarium and Kagoshima University discovered that several of the ray fish had characteristics that differed from giant guitarfish. Based on the rounded tip of its head and the black circular pattern on the ventral side of its head, the researchers determined it to be a new species.
"It has been on display since the opening of the aquarium, and no one imagined it was a different species," said Akihiko Yoshida, head of the aquarium's fish section. "I regret my lack of knowledge. I have once again come to realize the blessing that is Kagoshima's rich oceanic environment."
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