Species Mobula alfredi (Krefft, 1868)
Alfred Manta, Australian Devil Ray, Devilfish, Inshore Manta Ray, Manta Devil Ray, Manta Ray, Munguna, Prince Alfred's Ray
- Ceratoptera alfredi Krefft, G. 1868. Ceratoptera alfredi (Prince Alfred's ray). Illustrated Sydney News 11 July 5(50): 1-16 10 figs [3] (named for Queen Victoria’s son Prince Alfred, who survived an assassination attempt in 1868 in Clontarf) [technically authorship is anonymous as the original description makes no mention of Krefft; the generic name Ceratoptera was apparently a printing error for Deratoptera - see Whitley 1936].
Type data:
Holotype AM I.1731 (original type locality given as Manly, NSW, but see Whitley, G.P. (1936). The Australian devil ray, Daemomanta alfredi (Krefft), with remarks on the superfamily Mobuloidea (order Batoidei). Aust. Zool. 8(3): 164–188 [176]), Watsons Bay, Sydney Harbour, NSW.
Generic Combinations
- Manta alfredi (Krefft, 1868). —
Stead, D.G. 1906. Fishes of Australia. Sydney : William Brooks & Co. Limited 278 pp. [233]
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 (changed combination cited and species removed from synonymy) - Daemomanta alfredi (Krefft, 1868). —
Whitley, G.P. 1936. The Australian devil ray, Daemomanta alfredi (Krefft), with remarks on the superfamily Mobuloidea (order Batoidei). The Australian Zoologist 8(3): 164-188 (correction of generic name) - Mobula alfredi (Krefft, 1868). —
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
Manta alfredi has only recently been shown to be distinct from Manta birostris by Marshall et al. 2009, and many earlier records of that species probably refer to this species. The species was transferred to the genus Mobula by White et al. (2018).
Distribution
States
New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, Western Australia
Extra Distribution Information
Off Perth, WA to Solitary Islands, NSW; tropical, temperate, circumglobal; because of confusion with Manta birostris, other details of distribution are uncertain; tropical, circumglobal
IMCRA
Timor Transition (1), Northern Shelf Province (25), Northwest Shelf Transition (26), Northwest Shelf Province (27), Central Western Shelf Transition (28), Central Western Shelf Province (29), Southwest Shelf Transition (30), Central Eastern Shelf Province (38), Central Eastern Shelf Transition (39), Northeast Shelf Province (40), Northeast Shelf Transition (41)
Distribution References
- Larson, H.K., Williams, R.S. & Hammer, M.P. 2013. An annotated checklist of the fishes of the Northern Territory, Australia. Zootaxa 3696(1): 1-293 [22] (as Manta alfredi)
Ecological Descriptors
Coral reef, inshore, marine, pelagic.
General References
Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Perth : Western Australian Museum 292 pp. 106 pls. [48] (as Manta birostris, 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] (as Manta birostris, in part)
Couturier, L.I.E., Jaine, F.R.A., Townsend, K.A., Weeks, S.J., Richardson, A.J. & Bennett, M.B. 2011. Distribution, site affinity and regional movements of the manta ray, Manta alfredi (Krefft, 1868), along the east coast of Australia. Marine and Freshwater Research 62: 628–637
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) (as Manta alfredi)
Last, P.R. & Stevens, J.D. 1994. Sharks and Rays of Australia. Canberra : CSIRO Australia 513 pp. 84 pls. [459] (as Manta birostris, in part)
Last, P.R. & Stevens, J.D. 2009. Sharks and Rays of Australia. Collingwood : CSIRO Publishing Australia 2, 550 pp. [479] (as Manta birostris, 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]
McCulloch, A.R. 1929. A check-list of the fishes recorded from Australia. Part I. Memoirs of the Australian Museum 5: 1–144 [31] (as Manta alfredi)
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] [139] (as Manta birostris, 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] (in part, some distribution records probably apply to Mobula birostris.)
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] (as Manta birostris)
Stead, D.G. 1963. Sharks and Rays of Australian Seas. Sydney : Angus & Robertson 211 pp. 63 figs. [186] (as Manta birostris, in part)
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]
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. [742]
Whitley, G.P. 1932. Studies in Ichthyology No. 6. Records of the Australian Museum 18(6): 321-348 figs 1-3 pls 36-39 [328] (as Daemomanta alfredi, with Stead as author, but subsequently corrected by Whitley 1936)
Whitley, G.P. 1936. The Australian devil ray, Daemomanta alfredi (Krefft), with remarks on the superfamily Mobuloidea (order Batoidei). The Australian Zoologist 8(3): 164-188
Whitley, G.P. 1964. A survey of Australian Ichthyology. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 89(1): 11-127 [163] (as Daemomanta alfredi, in part)
Common Name References
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 [13] (Alfred Manta, Inshore Manta Ray, Manta Ray)
Stead, D.G. 1963. Sharks and Rays of Australian Seas. Sydney : Angus & Robertson 211 pp. 63 figs. [186] (Manta Devil Ray)
Whitley, G.P. 1940. The Fishes of Australia. Part 1. The sharks, rays, devil-fish, and other primitive fishes of Australia and New Zealand. Sydney : Roy. Zool. Soc. N.S.W. 280 pp. 303 figs. [226] (Australian Devil Ray, Devilfish, Munguna, Prince Alfred's Ray)
History of changes
| Published | As part of group | Action Date | Action Type | Compiler(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 05-Jun-2024 | MYLIOBATIFORMES | 20-Jun-2022 | MODIFIED | Dr Doug Hoese Dr Matthew Lockett |
| 16-Apr-2012 | 16-Apr-2012 | MODIFIED | ||
| 17-Mar-2010 | ADDED |