 Although Block and Schneider wrote the epithet as "ancylostomus" and that form appears in some literature, most modern sources regard the correct form to be "ancylostoma".Other common names for this species include shark ray, mud skate, shortnose mud skate, bow-mouthed angel fish, and bow-mouthed angel shark.The evolutionary relationships between "Rhina ancylostoma" and other rays are debated.