Its lifestyle makes it vulnerable to trawling and other fishing methods, populations seem to be declining and it has disappeared from parts of its range.

[3] It is very similar in appearance to the blackchin guitarfish (Glaucostegus cemiculus), which shares its distribution, but is generally smaller, has larger eyes, more widely separated rostral ridges, a longer front nasal lobe and a wider back nasal flap.

[4] The common guitarfish is found in the north Atlantic Ocean from the Bay of Biscay to Angola[1] and in the southern Mediterranean Sea.

The gestation period is about four months,[1] and the young develop inside the female, obtaining nourishment from their yolk sacs at first, and later from uterine secretions of their mother.

[3] The common guitarfish lives close to the coast and breeds in shallow water.