Most guitarfishes (65.7%) evaluated by the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List are classified as threatened and are included in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. Since the 1930s, these species have been subject to a trade in which guitarfishes are cut and modified to resemble mythical creatures and sold as curiosities or for alternative medicine. Identifying species of modified guitarfishes based solely on morphology is challenging due to their similar morphologies, the loss of unique characteristics, and potential for unreliable capture origins. To identify the species of guitarfishes involved in trade, a custom genetic reference library was developed for all described species in the genus Pseudobatos, using NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 (ND2) for species-level trade documentation. This library demonstrates reliable identification for the majority of Pseudobatos species. Caution is advised for two species that exhibit minimal genetic divergence in ND2, suggesting the need for additional data types (e.g., morphological characteristics) in these cases. To determine the species traded, 34 modified guitarfishes were collected from vendors, including medicinal market shops, curio stores, and online platforms, within Mexico City metropolitan area, and identified to the species-level using the genetic reference library and morphological characteristics. The findings revealed guitarfishes are sourced from both the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans for the modified guitarfishes traded, with specimens identified as P. buthi, P. glaucostigma, and P. lentiginosus, all of which are currently threatened with extinction.
","abstract_html":"<p>Most guitarfishes (65.7%) evaluated by the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List are classified as threatened and are included in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. Since the 1930s, these species have been subject to a trade in which guitarfishes are cut and modified to resemble mythical creatures and sold as curiosities or for alternative medicine. Identifying species of modified guitarfishes based solely on morphology is challenging due to their similar morphologies, the loss of unique characteristics, and potential for unreliable capture origins. To identify the species of guitarfishes involved in trade, a custom genetic reference library was developed for all described species in the genus <em>Pseudobatos</em>, using NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 (ND2) for species-level trade documentation. This library demonstrates reliable identification for the majority of <em>Pseudobatos</em> species. Caution is advised for two species that exhibit minimal genetic divergence in ND2, suggesting the need for additional data types (e.g., morphological characteristics) in these cases. To determine the species traded, 34 modified guitarfishes were collected from vendors, including medicinal market shops, curio stores, and online platforms, within Mexico City metropolitan area, and identified to the species-level using the genetic reference library and morphological characteristics. The findings revealed guitarfishes are sourced from both the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans for the modified guitarfishes traded, with specimens identified as <em>P. buthi</em>, <em>P. glaucostigma</em>, and P<em>. lentiginosus</em>, all of which are currently threatened with extinction.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Huerta Beltran, Bryan L"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science (MS)","degree_level":"Masters Thesis","degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Dr. Nicole M. Phillips","Dr. J. Marcus Drymon","Dr. Peter M. Kyne"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2025,"date_issued":"2025-12-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2025-12-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:45:55Z","subjects":["Pseudobatos","Mexico","Guitarfishes","trade","guitarfish","CITES","Aquaculture and Fisheries","Genetics and Genomics"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/1151","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Dr. Nicole M. Phillips","Dr. J. Marcus Drymon","Dr. Peter M. Kyne"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Huerta Beltran, Bryan L"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2028-10-25T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Masters Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science (MS)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Pseudobatos","Mexico","Guitarfishes","trade","guitarfish","CITES","Aquaculture and Fisheries","Genetics and Genomics"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/1151"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Most guitarfishes (65.7%) evaluated by the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List are classified as threatened and are included in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. Since the 1930s, these species have been subject to a trade in which guitarfishes are cut and modified to resemble mythical creatures and sold as curiosities or for alternative medicine. Identifying species of modified guitarfishes based solely on morphology is challenging due to their similar morphologies, the loss of unique characteristics, and potential for unreliable capture origins. To identify the species of guitarfishes involved in trade, a custom genetic reference library was developed for all described species in the genus Pseudobatos, using NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 (ND2) for species-level trade documentation. This library demonstrates reliable identification for the majority of Pseudobatos species. Caution is advised for two species that exhibit minimal genetic divergence in ND2, suggesting the need for additional data types (e.g., morphological characteristics) in these cases. To determine the species traded, 34 modified guitarfishes were collected from vendors, including medicinal market shops, curio stores, and online platforms, within Mexico City metropolitan area, and identified to the species-level using the genetic reference library and morphological characteristics. The findings revealed guitarfishes are sourced from both the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans for the modified guitarfishes traded, with specimens identified as P. buthi, P. glaucostigma, and P. lentiginosus, all of which are currently threatened with extinction.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Novel Insigths on Trade and Genetic Lineages of the Amphi-American Guitarfishes Genus Pseudobatos"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Dr. Nicole M. Phillips","Dr. J. Marcus Drymon","Dr. Peter M. Kyne"],"dc:creator":["Huerta Beltran, Bryan L"],"dc:date.available":["2028-10-25T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Most guitarfishes (65.7%) evaluated by the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List are classified as threatened and are included in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. Since the 1930s, these species have been subject to a trade in which guitarfishes are cut and modified to resemble mythical creatures and sold as curiosities or for alternative medicine. Identifying species of modified guitarfishes based solely on morphology is challenging due to their similar morphologies, the loss of unique characteristics, and potential for unreliable capture origins. To identify the species of guitarfishes involved in trade, a custom genetic reference library was developed for all described species in the genus Pseudobatos, using NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 (ND2) for species-level trade documentation. This library demonstrates reliable identification for the majority of Pseudobatos species. Caution is advised for two species that exhibit minimal genetic divergence in ND2, suggesting the need for additional data types (e.g., morphological characteristics) in these cases. To determine the species traded, 34 modified guitarfishes were collected from vendors, including medicinal market shops, curio stores, and online platforms, within Mexico City metropolitan area, and identified to the species-level using the genetic reference library and morphological characteristics. The findings revealed guitarfishes are sourced from both the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans for the modified guitarfishes traded, with specimens identified as P. buthi, P. glaucostigma, and P. lentiginosus, all of which are currently threatened with extinction.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/1151"],"dc:subject":["Pseudobatos","Mexico","Guitarfishes","trade","guitarfish","CITES","Aquaculture and Fisheries","Genetics and Genomics"],"dc:title":["Novel Insigths on Trade and Genetic Lineages of the Amphi-American Guitarfishes Genus Pseudobatos"],"thesis:degree_level":["Masters Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science (MS)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:45:55Z"}