The Lusitanian cownose ray (''Rhinoptera marginata'') is a species of

eagle ray The eagle rays are a group of cartilaginous fishes in the family Myliobatidae, consisting mostly of large species living in the open ocean rather than on the sea bottom. Eagle rays feed on mollusks and crustaceans, crushing their shells with the ...

found along the western coast of Africa and

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ea ...

. It is apparently very rare in the Mediterranean Sea, but is common in shallow waters off the western Africa.

Description

Its maximum width is .

Distribution

It is found in the eastern Atlantic from

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

to the

Central Africa Central Africa is a subregion of the African continent comprising various countries according to different definitions. Angola, Burundi, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo, ...

n coast and in the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea.Guide of Mediterranean Skates and Rays (Rhinoptera marginata). Oct. 2022. Mendez L., Bacquet A. and F. Briand.http://www.ciesm.org/Guide/skatesandrays/rhinoptera-marginata

Life cycle

They exhibit

ovoviparity Ovoviviparity, ovovivipary, ovivipary, or aplacental viviparity is a term used as a "bridging" form of reproduction between egg-laying oviparous and live-bearing viviparous reproduction. Ovoviviparous animals possess embryos that develop ins ...

(aplacental viviparity), with embryos feeding initially on yolk, then receiving additional nourishment from the mother by indirect absorption of uterine fluid enriched with mucus, fat or protein through specialised structures.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5030552 Lusitanian cownose ray Fish of the Mediterranean Sea Marine fauna of North Africa Lusitanian cownose ray