Species Mobula birostris (Walbaum, 1792)
Manta Ray, Australian Devilray, Chevron Manta, Devil Ray, Devilfish, Giant Manta, Giant Manta Ray (CAAB name), Munguna, Oceanic Manta, Pacific Manta Ray, Pelagic Manta
- Raja birostris Walbaum, J.J. 1792. Petri Artedi renovati. Part 3. Petri Artedi sueci genera Piscium in quibus systema totum ichthyologiae. Grypeswaldiae 723 pp. 3 pls. [535] [some authors attribute authorship to Donndorff, J. A. (1798). Zoologische Beiträge zue 13ten Ausgabe des Linnéschen Natursystems. Vol. 3, Ichthyologische Beiträge p. 876, regarding the useage as not binominal in Walbaum; see Whitley, G.P. (1936). The Australian devil ray, Daemomanta alfredi (Krefft), with remarks on the superfamily Mobuloidea (order Batoidei). Australian Zoology 8(3): 164–188; Eschmeyer, W.N. (1998). Catalog of Fishes. San Francisco : California Academy of Sciences 3 vols 2905 pp. argued that the usage of Walbaum in the index is binominal].
Type data:
Holotype whereabouts unknown, locality unknown. - Cephalopterus manta Bancroft, E.N. 1829. On the fish known in Jamaica as the sea devil (Cephalopholis manta). Zoological Journal London 4: 444-457 [453].
Type data:
Status unknown, whereabouts unknown, Kingston, Jamaica.
Taxonomic Decision for Synonymy
Generic Combinations
- Manta birostris (Walbaum, 1792). —
Jordan, D.S. & Gilbert, C.H. 1883. A synopsis of the fishes of North America. Bulletin of the United States National Museum 16: 1-1018 [Date published 30/Apr/1883: dated 1882] [52] - Mobula birostris (Walbaum, 1792). —
White, W.T., Corrigan, S., Yang, L., Henderson, A.C., Bazinet, A.L., Swofford, D.L. & Naylor, G.J.P. 2018. 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 [published online 24 June 2017] [69] (changed combination)
Introduction
The species was considered a senior synonym of M. alfredi until recently (Marshall et al. (2009). Consequently some earlier records of M birostris were probably based on M. alfredi. The species was transferred from the genus Manta to Mobula by White et al. (2018).
Distribution
States
New South Wales, Western Australia
Extra Distribution Information
Off Exmouth, WA and northern NSW, other records need confirmation because of confusion with Manta alfredi; tropical, temperate, circumglobal.
IMCRA
Cocos (Keeling) Island Province (22), Christmas Island Province (23), Central Western Shelf Transition (28), Central Western Shelf Province (29), Central Eastern Shelf Province (38), Central Eastern Shelf Transition (39)
Ecological Descriptors
Continental shelf, marine, pelagic.
Extra Ecological Information
Offshore, often around oceanic islands, sometimes coastal
General References
Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Perth : Western Australian Museum 292 pp. 106 pls. [48] (in part)
Allen, G.R., Cross, N.J., Douglass F. Hoese & Bray, Dianne, J. 2006. Myliobatidae. pp. 205-209 in Hoese, D.F., Bray, D.J., Paxton, J.R. & Allen, G.R. Fishes. In, Beesley, P.L. & Wells, A. (eds) Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Vol. 35. Volume 35 Australia : ABRS & CSIRO Publishing Parts 1-3, 2178 pp. [207] (as Manta birostris, in part)
Compagno, L.J.V. & Last, P.R. 1999. Families Gymnuridae, Myliobatidae, Rhinopteridae, Mobulidae. pp. 1505-1529 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, V.H. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 3 pp. 1397-2068. [1527] (in part)
Duffy, C.A.J. 2015. Family Myliobatidae. pp. 201-204 in Roberts, C.D., Stewart, A.L. & Struthers, C.D. The Fishes of New Zealand. Wellington : Te Papa Press Vol. 2 pp. 1-576. [201]
Kashiwagi, T., Marshall, A.D., Bennett, M.B. & Ovenden, J.R. 2011. Habitat segregation and mosaic sympatry of the two species of manta ray in the Indian and Pacific Oceans: Manta alfredi and M. birostris. Marine Biodiversity Records 4: e53 (8 pages)
Last, P.R. & Stevens, J.D. 1994. Sharks and Rays of Australia. Canberra : CSIRO Australia 513 pp. 84 pls. [459] (in part)
Last, P.R. & Stevens, J.D. 2009. Sharks and Rays of Australia. Collingwood : CSIRO Publishing Australia 2, 550 pp. [479] (in part)
Marshall, A.D, Compagno, L.J.V. & Bennett, M.B. 2009. Redescription of the genus Manta with resurrection of Manta alfredi (Krefft, 1868) (Chondrichthyes; Myliobatoidei; Mobulidae). Zootaxa 2301: 1-28 [1]
Munro, I.S.R. 1961. Handbook of Australian fishes. Nos 1–42. Australian Fisheries Newsletter 15–17, 19, 20: 1-172 [published as separates 1956–1961] [19] (139, in part)
Paxton, J.R., Hoese, D.F., Allen, G.R. & Hanley, J.E. (eds) 1989. Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Pisces: Petromyzontidae to Carangidae. Canberra : Australian Government Publishing Service Vol. 7 665 pp. [51] (as Manta alfredi, in part)
White, W.T. & Last, P.R. 2016. Families Myliobatidae, Aetobatidae. pp. 706-731 in Last, P.R., White, W.T., Carvalho, M.R. de, Séret, B., Stehmann, M.F.W. & Naylor, G.J.P. (eds.). Rays of the World. Clayton South, Victoria : CSIRO Publishing 790 pp. [743]
Whitley, G.P. 1964. A survey of Australian Ichthyology. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 89(1): 11-127 [34] (163, in part)
Common Name References
Compagno, L.J.V. & Last, P.R. 1999. Families Gymnuridae, Myliobatidae, Rhinopteridae, Mobulidae. pp. 1505-1529 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, V.H. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 3 pp. 1397-2068. [1527] (FAO) (Giant Manta)
Grant, E.M. 1975. Guide to Fishes. Brisbane : Queensland Government, Co-ordinator General’s Department 640 pp. [72] (Devil Ray)
Last, P.R. & Stevens, J.D. 1994. Sharks and Rays of Australia. Canberra : CSIRO Australia 513 pp. 84 pls. [459] (Australian Devilray, Devilfish)
Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & Steene, R. 1990. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 507 pp. figs. [31] (Manta Ray)
Seafood Services Australia 2008. Australian Fish Names Standard. http://www.fishnames.com.au/. (Manta Ray)
Whitley, G.P. 1936. Australia: Linguistics. Mankind 2(2): 42-43 [42] (as Daemomanta alfredi, in part) (Munguna)
Yearsley, G.K., Last, P.R. & Hoese, D.F. 2006. Standard names of Australian fishes. CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research Paper 9: 1-64 [18] (as Manta birostris) (Manta Ray)
History of changes
| Published | As part of group | Action Date | Action Type | Compiler(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 05-Aug-2022 | MYLIOBATIFORMES | 23-Jun-2022 | MODIFIED | Dr Doug Hoese Dr Matthew Lockett |
| 05-Aug-2022 | MOBULIDAE | 07-Aug-2014 | MODIFIED | Dr Doug Hoese |
| 16-Apr-2012 | 22-Nov-2013 | MODIFIED | ||
| 17-Mar-2010 | 26-Mar-2010 | MODIFIED | ||
| 12-Feb-2010 | (import) |