Lesser devil ray
| Lesser devil ray | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Chondrichthyes |
| Subclass: | Elasmobranchii |
| Order: | Myliobatiformes |
| Family: | Mobulidae |
| Genus: | Mobula |
| Species: | M. hypostoma
|
| Binomial name | |
| Mobula hypostoma (Bancroft, 1831)
| |
| File:Mobula hypostoma répartition.png | |
| Range of Mobula hypostoma, not including M. rochebrunei | |
| Synonyms | |
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The lesser devil ray (Mobula hypostoma) is a species of devil ray in the family Mobulidae.
Habitat
[edit | edit source]These rays live in shallow, warm waters and can be found in shoals of up to 40 individuals, although more often ranging between 2 and 10.[4]
They occur along the coasts of the western Atlantic, from North Carolina to northern Argentina.[5] The related Mobula rochebrunei has occasionally been recovered as a junior synonym of M. hypostoma, extending the species' range to the eastern Atlantic.[6]
Diet
[edit | edit source]They mostly feed on zooplankton such as small crustaceans, although they can occasionally eat schooling fish, using their cephalic horns to funnel prey into their mouth.[5]
Description
[edit | edit source]Lesser devil rays are relatively small, with a maximum width of about 125 cm (49 in). They have forward-facing cephalic horns, while their long spineless tails distinguish them from their relatives M. mobular.[4][5]
Dorsal coloration varies from light brown to black, although some specimens have been reported as blue.[5] Individuals sometimes possess a dark grey collar between their spiracles.[4]
References
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- ^ White, W.T., Corrigan, S., Yang, S., Henderson, A.C., Bazinet, A.L., Swofford, D.L. and Naylor, G.J.P. 2017. Phylogeny of the manta and devilrays (Chondrichthyes, mobulidae) with an updated taxonomic arrangement for the family. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 182(1): 50-75. https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlx018.
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External links
[edit | edit source]- Photos of Lesser devil ray in the Sealife Collection
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