Mobula
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| Mobula Temporal range: 34–0Ma Early Oligocene to Present[1] | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Mobula sp breaching, Baja California | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Chondrichthyes |
| Subclass: | Elasmobranchii |
| Superorder: | Batoidea |
| Order: | Myliobatiformes |
| Family: | Myliobatidae |
| Subfamily: | Mobulidae |
| Genus: | Mobula Rafinesque, 1810 |
Mobula is a genus of ray in the family Myliobatidae (eagle rays).[2] Their appearance is similar to that of Manta rays, which are in the same family. Species of this genera are often collectively referred to as "Flying Mobula" or simply "Flying rays", due to their propensity for breaching, sometimes in a spectacular manner. The Devil fish can attain a disc width of up to 5.2 metres (17 feet) and can probably weigh over a ton,[3] second only to the Manta in size. Despite their size, little is known about this genus, much of it being from anecdotal accounts.
Mobula rays in the Gulf of California (Sea of Cortés) have been reported to breach as high as 2 metres above the sea.[4]
Species
Fishbase recognizes the following species:
- Mobula eregoodootenkee (Bleeker, 1859) (Pygmy devil ray)
- Mobula hypostoma (Bancroft, 1831) (Lesser devil ray)
- Mobula japanica (J. P. Müller & Henle, 1841) (Spinetail mobula)
- Mobula kuhlii (J. P. Müller & Henle, 1841) (Shortfin devil ray)
- Mobula mobular (Bonnaterre, 1788) (Devil fish)
- Mobula munkiana Notarbartolo di Sciara, 1987 (Munk's devil ray)
- Mobula rochebrunei (Vaillant, 1879) (Lesser Guinean devil ray)
- Mobula tarapacana (Philippi {Krumweide}, 1892) (Chilean devil ray)
- Mobula thurstoni (Lloyd, 1908) (Smoothtail mobula)
Gallery
-
School in Mexico
-
breaching
See also
- List of prehistoric cartilaginous fish
Notes
- ↑ Sepkoski, Jack (2002). "A compendium of fossil marine animal genera (Chondrichthyes entry)". Bulletins of American Paleontology 364: p.560. Retrieved 2008-01-09.
- ↑ Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2006). Species of Mobula in FishBase. February 2006 version.
- ↑ http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=7618
- ↑ Paul and Michael Albert (26 June 2005). "The Flying Mobulas of the Sea of Cortés".
References
- Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2011). Species of Mobula in FishBase. February 2011 version.
External links
- Photo gallery of Mobulas — photographer: Michael Albert
- Videos and information about several Mobula species — ARKive.org
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