Fish · La Saladita, Guerrero

Golden Cownose Ray

Rhinoptera steindachneri

Spanish: Raya tecolote

Golden Cownose Ray (Rhinoptera steindachneri)
Photographed by ronwoheau on iNaturalist · CC-BY-NC

The golden cownose ray or Pacific cownose ray (Rhinoptera steindachneri) is a species of eagle ray, family Myliobatidae. It is found in the East Pacific along the coast of Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, and Peru. Its natural habitats are open seas, shallow seas, subtidal aquatic beds, estuarine waters, intertidal marshes, and coastal saline lagoons.

TaxonomyChondrichthyes › Myliobatiformes › Rhinopteridae
IUCN statusNear Threatened (NT)
Local records11 research-grade observations within about 50 km of La Saladita (the survey box also takes in Zihuatanejo, Ixtapa and Troncones)
Global records615 on iNaturalist
Most recent records2026 – 2026
Months of the 8 most recent records
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Recent local sightings

Interactive card with more photos, sounds and similar species Fish guide iNaturalist Wikipedia

Cite as: “Golden Cownose Ray (Rhinoptera steindachneri) at La Saladita”, La Saladita Field Guide, lasaladita.com/species/rhinoptera-steindachneri/, updated 2026-10-07. Observation counts and months come from iNaturalist research-grade records within about 50 km of 17.8375°N, 101.7606°W (the survey box also takes in Zihuatanejo, Ixtapa and Troncones); summary text from Wikipedia where present.