Lesser devil ray

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.

Lesser devil ray
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Elasmobranchii
Order:
Myliobatiformes
Family:
Mobulidae
Genus:
Mobula
Species:
M. hypostoma
Binomial name
Mobula hypostoma
(Bancroft, 1831)
Synonyms
  • Cephalopterus hypostomus[1]
  • Cephaloptera massenoidea[2]
  • Cephaloptera olfersii
  • Ceratobatis robertsi
  • Ceratobatic robertsii
  • Mobula olfersii
  • Mobula reobertsi

These rays live in shallow waters and can be found singly or in large shoals. They feed on crustaceans mostly, but will sometimes feed on shoals of smaller fish. Lesser devil rays are relatively small, with a maximum width of about 120 cm (47 in). They have smaller cephalic fins than their larger manta cousins and have longer spineless tails.

They are known to swim at very high speeds and leap out of the water, often a great distance.

References
  1. Marshall, A., Barreto, R., Carlson, J., Fernando, D., Fordham, S., Francis, M.P., Herman, K., Jabado, R.W., Liu, K.M., Rigby, C.L. & Romanov, E. 2019. (2019). "Mobula hypostoma". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN. 2019: e.T126710128A896599.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. Boonstra, Roxane. "Atlantic devil ray". Florida Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 8 December 2011.
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