Mobula

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Classis: Chondrichthyes
Subclassis: Elasmobranchii
Infraclassis: Euselachii
Division/Cohort: Neoselachii
Subdivision/Subcohort: Batoidea
Superordo: Batomorphii
Ordo: Myliobatiformes
Subordo: Myliobatoidei
Superfamilia: Dasyatoidea

Familia: Mobulidae
Genus: Mobula
Species: M. alfredi – M. birostris – M. eregoodootenkee – M. hypostoma – M. japanica – M. kuhlii – M. mobular – M. munkiana – M. rochebrunei – M. tarapacana – M. thurstoni
Name

Mobula Rafinesque, 1810: 48, 61

Type species: Mobula auriculata Rafinesque, 1810 [= Raia mobular Bonnaterre, 1788], by monotypy.
Synonyms

Apterurus Rafinesque, 1810: 48, 62
Type species: Apterurus fabroni Rafinesque, 1810 [= Raia mobular Bonnaterre, 1788], by monotypy.
Cephalopterus Risso, 1810: 14 [junior homonym of Cephalopterus E. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1809]
Type species: Raja giorna Lacepède, 1803 [= Raia mobular Bonnaterre, 1788], by subsequent designation.
Placed on the Official Index of Rejected and Invalid Generic Names in Zoology by Direction 44 (ICZN, 1956).
Apturus Rafinesque, 1815: 93 (emended spelling for Apterurus Rafinesque, 1810)
Cephaloptera Cuvier (ex Duméril), 1816: 138
Type species: Raja cephaloptera Bloch & Schneider, 1801 [= Raia mobular Bonnaterre, 1788], by absolute tautonymy.
Dicerobatus Blainville, 1816: 112 [= 120]
Type species: Raia mobular Bonnaterre, 1788, by monotypy.
Dicerobatis Blainville, 1825: 40 (unjustified emendation of Dicerobatus Blainville, 1816)
Manta Bancroft, 1829: 454
Type species: Cephalopterus manta Bancroft, 1829 [= Raja birostris Walbaum, 1792], by monotypy.
Cephalopteram Griffith & Smith, 1834: 617 (erroneous spelling for Cephaloptera Cuvier, 1816)
Ceratoptera Müller & Henle, 1837: 118
Type species: Cephaloptera giorna Lesueur, 1824 [= Raia mobular Bonnaterre, 1788], by subsequent monotypy.
Pterocephalus Swainson, 1838: 170, 174 (replacement name for Cephaloptera Cuvier, 1816)
Type species: Raja giorna Lacepède, 1803 [= Raia mobular Bonnaterre, 1788], automatic.
Pterocephala Swainson, 1839: 321 (alternative spelling of Pterocephalus Swainson, 1838)
Brachioptilon Hamilton in Newman, 1849: 2358
Type species: Brachioptilon hamiltoni Hamilton, 1849 [= Raja birostris Walbaum, 1792], by monotypy.
Diabolicthys Holmes, 1856: 45
Type species: Diabolicthys elliotti Holmes, 1856 [= Raja birostris Walbaum, 1792], by monotypy.
Deratoptera Krefft, 1868: 3, 9, Fig. (considered a misspelling of Ceratoptera Müller & Henle, 1837)
Ceratobatis Boulenger, 1897: 227
Type species: Ceratobatis robertsii Boulenger, 1897 [= Cephalopterus hypostomus Bancroft, 1831], by monotypy.
Daemomanta Whitley, 1932: 327
Type species: Ceratoptera alfredi Krefft, 1868, by original designation.
Indomanta Whitley, 1936: 11
Type species: Indomanta tombazii Whitley, 1936, by monotypy.

References
Primary references

Bancroft, E.N. 1829. On the fish known in Jamaica as the sea-devil. The Zoological Journal 4(16) (art. 55): 444–457. BHL. Reference page.
Blainville, H. de. 1816. Prodrome d'une nouvelle distribution systématique du règne animal. Bulletin des sciences, par la Société philomathique de Paris 8: 105–112 [sic for 113–120] +121–124. BHL Reference page.
Cuvier G.L. 1816–1817. Le Règne Animal distribué d'après son organisation pour servir de base à l'histoire naturelle des animaux et d'introduction à l'anatomie comparée. Avec Figures, dessinées d'après nature. Tome II. Contenant Les reptiles, les poissons, les mollusques et les annélides. Edition 1, Deterville, Paris. pp. i–xviii + 1–532. [Pls. 9–10, in v. 4] DOI: 10.5962/bhl.title.41460 BHL Reference page.
ICZN 1956. Direction 44. Correction of certain entries relating to the names of genera in the class Aves made on the Official List of Generic Names in Zoology in the period up to the close of 1936 and addition to the Official Indexes of Rejected and Invalid Names in Zoology of certain names given to genera and species of the same class. Opinions and declarations rendered by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature 1D: 211–232. BHL. Reference page.
Müller, J. & Henle, F.G.J. 1837. Über die Gattungen der Haifische und Rochen nach einer ... mit Hrn. Henle unternommenen gemeinschaftlichen Arbeit über die Naturgeschichte der Knorpelfische. Bericht Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin 1837: 111–118. BHL Reference page.
Rafinesque-Schmaltz, C.S. 1810. Indice d'ittiologia siciliana; ossia, catalogo metodico dei nomi latini, italiani, e siciliani dei pesci, che si rinvengono in Sicilia disposti secondo un metodo naturale e seguito da un appendice che contiene la descrizione de alcuni nuovi pesci siciliani. G. del Nobolo, Messina. 1–70, Pls. 1–2. BHL. Reference page.
Rafinesque, C.S. 1815. Analyse de la nature, ou tableau de l'univers et des corps organisés. Palerme: L'Imprimerie de Jean Barravecchia. 224 pp. BHL Reference page.
Risso, A. 1810. Ichthyologie de Nice, ou histoire naturelle des poissons du département des Alpes Maritimes. F. Schoell, Paris. i-xxxvi + 1-388, Pls. 1-11. BHL Reference page.
Swainson, W.J. 1838. On the natural history and classification of fishes, amphibians, & reptiles, or monocardian animals. A. Spottiswoode, London 1: i–vi + 1–368. BHL. Reference page.
Swainson, W.J. 1839. The natural history and classification of fishes, amphibians, & reptiles, or monocardian animals. Spottiswoode & Co.: London. vol. 2: i–vi + 1–448. BHL Reference page.

Additional references

Duffy, C.A.J. & Vogiatzis, A. 2016. First record of the sicklefin devilray Mobula tarapacana (Myliobatiformes: Mobulidae) from Australian waters. Zootaxa 4126(1): 141–145. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4126.1.9. Reference page.
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. Abstract & excerpt
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. DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlx018 Open access. Reference page.

Links

Mobula and its species (including synonyms) in Catalog of Fishes, Eschmeyer, W.N., Fricke, R. & van der Laan, R. (eds.) 2024. Catalog of Fishes electronic version.
Mobula species list in FishBase,
Froese, R. & Pauly, D. (eds.) 2024. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication, www.fishbase.org, version 02/2024.
Mobula Rafinesque, 1810 – Taxon details on Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS).
Manta Bancroft, 1829 – Taxon details on Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS).

Vernacular names
English: Devil ray, Manta ray
español: Diablo raya
தமிழ்: பேய் திருக்கை
ไทย: ปลากระเบนปีศาจ, ปลากระเบนราหู, ปลากระเบนแมนตา
中文: 蝠鲼,蝠鲼属, 前口蝠鲼属, 鬼蝠属

Mobula is a genus of rays in the family Mobulidae that is found worldwide in tropical and warm, temperate seas.[3] Some authorities consider this to be a subfamily of the Myliobatidae (eagle rays).[4][5] Their appearance is similar to that of manta rays, which are in the same family, and based on genetic and morphological evidence, the mantas belong in Mobula (they are traditionally in their own genus Manta).[3]

Species of this genus are often collectively referred to as "devil rays", "flying mobula", or simply "flying rays", due to their propensity for breaching, sometimes in a spectacular manner. These rays gather in groups and leap out of the surface into the air up to around two metres before splashing back into the water.[6]
External videos
video icon Mobula rays "vortex feeding"
Description

Depending on the species, the devil rays can attain widths up to 1.1–5.2 m (3.6–17.1 ft), the largest being second only to the manta rays in size, which can reach 5.5–7.0 m (18.0–23.0 ft).[3] Despite their size, little is known about the devil rays, much of it anecdotal; the manta rays are better known.

Most species entirely lack a tail stinger. In most species having a stinger, it is encased, rendering it harmless; only M. mobular has a "free" stinger.[3]
Taxonomy

The genus is named by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque in 1810 describing the devil fish, Raia mobular or now Mobula mobular. The name can be explained from Latin mobilis "mobile" or "movable", because of the species' migratory habits;[7][8] another explanation is that mobula is a local name used by people living in Azores who call this creature there.[7]

Based on genetics and, to a lesser degree, morphological evidence, the genus was redefined in 2017. Under this arrangement, Manta is included in Mobula.[3]
Species

FishBase recognizes 11 species:[5]

Mobula alfredi (J. L. G. Krefft, 1868) (reef manta ray)
Mobula birostris (Walbaum, 1792) (giant oceanic manta ray)
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 (bentfin devil ray)

Extinct species by Shark-References:[9]

Mobula cappettae JONET, 1976
Mobula fragilis (CAPPETTA, 1970)
Mobula lorenzolizanoi LAURITO MORA, 1999
Mobula loupianensis CAPPETTA, 1970
Mobula melanyae (CASE, 1980)
Mobula pectinata CAPPETTA, 1970