''Mobula'' is a genus of
rays
Ray may refer to:
Fish
* Ray (fish), any cartilaginous fish of the superorder Batoidea
* Ray (fish fin anatomy), a bony or horny spine on a fin
Science and mathematics
* Ray (geometry), half of a line proceeding from an initial point
* Ray (gra ...
in the family
Mobulidae
The Mobulidae (manta rays and devilfishes) are a family of rays consisting mostly of large species living in the open ocean rather than on the sea bottom.
Taxonomy
The Mobulidae have been variously considered a subfamily of the Myliobatidae by ...
that is found worldwide in tropical and warm, temperate seas.
Some authorities consider this to be a subfamily of the
Myliobatidae (eagle rays).
Their appearance is similar to that of
manta rays
Manta rays are large rays belonging to the genus ''Mobula'' (formerly its own genus ''Manta''). The larger species, '' M. birostris'', reaches in width, while the smaller, '' M. alfredi'', reaches . Both have triangular pectoral fins, horn-s ...
, which are in the same family, and based on
genetic and
morphological evidence, the mantas belong in ''Mobula'' (they are traditionally in their own genus ''Manta'').
[ Species of this genus are often collectively referred to as "devil rays", "flying mobula", or simply "flying rays", due to their propensity for breaching, sometimes in a spectacular manner. These rays gather in groups and leap out of the surface into the air up to around two metres before splashing back into the water.
Depending on the species, the devil rays can attain widths up to , the largest being second only to the manta rays in size, which can reach .][ Despite their size, little is known about the devil rays, much of it anecdotal; the manta rays are better known. Most species entirely lack a tail ]stinger
A stinger (or sting) is a sharp organ found in various animals (typically insects and other arthropods) capable of injecting venom, usually by piercing the epidermis of another animal.
An insect sting is complicated by its introduction of v ...
. In most species having a stinger, it is encased, rendering it harmless; only ''M. mobular'' has a "free" stinger.[
]
Taxonomy
The genus is named by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque
Constantine Samuel Rafinesque-Schmaltz (; October 22, 1783September 18, 1840) was a French 19th-century polymath born near Constantinople in the Ottoman Empire and self-educated in France. He traveled as a young man in the United States, ultimat ...
in 1810 describing the devil fish
The devil fish or giant devil ray (''Mobula mobular'') is a species of ray in the family Mobulidae. It is currently listed as endangered, mostly due to bycatch mortality in unrelated fisheries.
Description
The devil fish is larger than its clo ...
, ''Raia mobular'' or now ''Mobula mobular''. The name can be explained from Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
''mobilis'' "mobile" or "movable", because of the species' migratory habits;Azores
)
, motto =( en, "Rather die free than subjected in peace")
, anthem= ( en, "Anthem of the Azores")
, image_map=Locator_map_of_Azores_in_EU.svg
, map_alt=Location of the Azores within the European Union
, map_caption=Location of the Azores wi ...
who call this creature there.genetics
Genetics is the study of genes, genetic variation, and heredity in organisms.Hartl D, Jones E (2005) It is an important branch in biology because heredity is vital to organisms' evolution. Gregor Mendel, a Moravian Augustinian friar wor ...
and, to a lesser degree, morphological evidence, the genus was redefined in 2017. Under this arrangement, ''Manta
Manta or mantas may refer to:
* Manta ray, large fish belonging to the genus ''Manta''
Arts and entertainment Fictional entities
* Manta (comics), a character in American Marvel Comics publications
* Manta (''Uridium''), a spaceship in the Br ...
'' is included in ''Mobula''.[
]FishBase
FishBase is a global species database of fish species (specifically finfish). It is the largest and most extensively accessed online database on adult finfish on the web. recognizes 11 species:[
* '']Mobula alfredi
The reef manta ray (''Mobula alfredi'')
is a species of ray in the family Mobulidae, one of the largest rays in the world. Among generally recognized species, it is the second-largest species of ray, only surpassed by the giant oceanic manta ra ...
'' ( J. L. G. Krefft, 1868) (reef manta ray)
* '' Mobula birostris'' (Walbaum Walbaum is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include:
*Johann Julius Walbaum (1724–1799), German physician, naturalist and taxonomist
* Johannes Walbaum (born 1987), German footballer
* Justus Erich Walbaum (1768-1837), German typ ...
, 1792) (giant oceanic manta ray)
* ''Mobula eregoodootenkee
''Mobula eregoodootenkee'', the pygmy devil ray or longhorned mobula, is a species of ray in the family ''Mobulidae''. It is endemic to the Indian Ocean and central-west Pacific Ocean. It ranges from South Africa in the west to the Philippines i ...
'' Bleeker Bleeker is a Dutch occupational surname. Bleeker is an old spelling of ''(linnen)bleker'' ("linen bleacher").Mobula hypostoma
The lesser devil ray (''Mobula hypostoma'') is a ray in the family Mobulidae. They occur along the coasts of the western Atlantic, from North Carolina to northern Argentina.
Habitat
These rays live in shallow waters and can be found singly or in ...
'' Bancroft, 1831 (lesser devil ray)
* ''Mobula japanica
The spinetail devil ray (''Mobula japanica''), also known as the spinetail mobula ray or Japanese mobula ray, is a species of pelagic marine fish which belongs to the family Mobulidae. It is found throughout the tropical and sub-tropical waters o ...
'' J. P. Müller & Henle Henle can refer to:
* Friedrich Gustav Jakob Henle, a German physician, pathologist and anatomist (1809–1885)
** Loop of Henle in the kidney, named after Henle
*Fritz Henle, a photographer, known as "Mr. Rollei" for his use of the 2.25" square for ...
, 1841 (spinetail mobula)
* ''Mobula kuhlii
''Mobula kuhlii'', the shortfin devil ray, is a species of ray in the family Mobulidae. It is endemic to the Indian Ocean and central-west Pacific Ocean. It ranges from South Africa, Mozambique, Tanzania and the Seychelles in the west to the Phi ...
'' J. P. Müller & Henle, 1841 (shortfin devil ray)
* ''Mobula mobular
The devil fish or giant devil ray (''Mobula mobular'') is a species of ray in the family Mobulidae. It is currently listed as endangered, mostly due to bycatch mortality in unrelated fisheries.
Description
The devil fish is larger than its cl ...
'' Bonnaterre, 1788 (devil fish)
* ''Mobula munkiana
''Mobula munkiana'', commonly known as the manta de monk, Munk's devil ray, pygmy devil ray, smoothtail mobula or Munk’s pygmy devil ray is a species of ray in the family Mobulidae. It is found in tropical parts of the eastern Pacific Ocean, r ...
'' Notarbartolo di Sciara, 1987 (Munk's devil ray)
* ''Mobula rochebrunei
''Mobula'' is a genus of rays in the family Mobulidae that is found worldwide in tropical and warm, temperate seas. Some authorities consider this to be a subfamily of the Myliobatidae (eagle rays). Their appearance is similar to that of manta r ...
'' Vaillant, 1879 (lesser Guinean devil ray)
* ''Mobula tarapacana
The Chilean devil ray (''Mobula tarapacana''), also known as the box ray, greater Guinean mobula, sicklefin devil ray or the spiny mobula, is a species of ray in the family Mobulidae. It is often observed worldwide, basking just below the surfac ...
'' Philippi , 1892 (Chilean devil ray)
* '' Mobula thurstoni'' Lloyd, 1908 (bentfin devil ray)
Extinct species by Shark-References:
Gallery
Image:Mobula shoal.jpg, School in Mexico
See also
* List of prehistoric cartilaginous fish
This list of prehistoric cartilaginous fish genera is an attempt to create a comprehensive listing of all genera that have ever been included in the class chondrichthyes ''and'' are known from the fossil record. This list excludes purely vernacul ...
References
External links
Videos and information about several Mobula species
— ARKive
ARKive was a global initiative with the mission of "promoting the conservation of the world's threatened species, through the power of wildlife imagery", which it did by locating and gathering films, photographs and audio recordings of the worl ...
.org
{{Taxonbar, from=Q843653
Extant Rupelian first appearances
Ray genera
Taxa named by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque
Rupelian genus first appearances