Myliobatis

Life-forms

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: Myliobatidae
Genus: Myliobatis
Species (13+1†): M. aquila - M. australis - M. californica – M. chilensis – †M. dixoni – M. freminvillii – M. goodei – M. hamlyni – M. longirostris – †M. monnieri – M. peruvianus – M. rhombus – M. ridens – M. tenuicaudatus – M. tobijei

Name

Myliobatis, Cuvier (ex Duméril), 1816: 137

Type species: Raja aquila Linnaeus, 1758

Synonyms

Holorhinus Gill, 1862
Myliobates Schinz, 1822

References

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. [original description: p. 137]
Agassiz, L.; 1843: Recherches sur les Poissons fossiles, Bd. III. Neuchâtel, 390 + 32p., 47 pls.
Gill, T. N.; 1862: Note on some genera of fishes of western North America. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 14: 329–332.
Ruocco, N.L. ; L.O. Lucifora ; J.M. Díaz de Astarloa ; E. Mabragaña & S.M. Delpiani, 2012: Morphology and DNA barcoding reveal a new species of eagle ray from the southwestern Atlantic: Myliobatis ridens sp. nov. (Chondrichthyes: Myliobatiformes: Myliobatidae). Zoological Studies 51 (6): 862–873. Full article: [1]].
Schinz, H. R.; 1822: Das Thierreich eingetheilt nach dem Bau der Thiere als Grundlage ihrer Naturgeschichte und der vergleichenden Anatomie. Mit vielen Zusätzenversehen von H. R. Schinz. Cotta, Stuttgart & Tübingen. 2: 1–835.
White, W.T., Kawauchi, J., Corrigan, S., Rochel, E. & Naylor, G.J.P. 2015. Redescription of the eagle rays Myliobatis hamlyni Ogilby, 1911 and M. tobijei Bleeker, 1854 (Myliobatiformes: Myliobatidae) from the East Indo-West Pacific. Zootaxa 3948(3): 521–548. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3948.3.7. Preview (PDF) Reference page.

Links

Myliobatis 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.

Myliobatis is a genus of eagle rays in the family Myliobatidae.
Description

Myliobatis species can reach a width up to about 1.8 m (6 ft).[2] Their bodies consist of a rhomboidal disc, wider than long, with one dorsal fin. The head is broad and short, with eyes and spiracles on the sides. The tail is slender, with one or two large spines at the base, without tail fin.[3]

The teeth are arranged in the lower and upper jaws in flat tooth plates called pavement teeth, each consisting of about seven series of plates, which are used to crush clam shells and crustaceans.[3]
Biology

Myliobatis species are ovoviviparous. Their gestation lasts about six months, and a female produces four to seven embryos. Myliobatis species mainly feed on molluscs, bottom-living crustaceans, and small fishes.[4]
Habitat

Myliobatis species live in warm, shallow waters. Adults prefer sandy shores, while juveniles can usually be encountered offshore.[3][4]
Species
Extant species

Currently, 11 species in this genus are recognized:[2][5]
Image Scientific name Common Name Distribution
Myliobatis aquila (Linnaeus, 1758) common eagle ray Atlantic Ocean (North Sea to South Africa), the Mediterranean Sea and the south-western Indian Ocean.
Myliobatis australis Macleay, 1981 Australian bull ray Eastern Indian Ocean: southern Australia, from Western Australia to Queensland.[6]
Myliobatis californica T. N. Gill, 1865 bat eagle ray eastern Pacific Ocean, between the Oregon coast and the Gulf of California.
Myliobatis chilensis Philippi {Krumweide}, 1893 Chilean eagle ray coasts of Chile and Peru
Myliobatis freminvillei Lesueur, 1824 bullnose eagle ray from Cape Cod down to Argentina
Myliobatis goodei Garman, 1885 southern eagle ray Atlantic coast, from the tip of Florida down to Argentina
Myliobatis hamlyni J. D. Ogilby, 1911 purple eagle ray[7] Australia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Okinawa
Myliobatis longirostris Applegate & Fitch, 1964 snouted eagle ray Pacific Ocean from Baja California and the Gulf of California to Sechura, Peru
Myliobatis peruvianus Garman, 1913 Peruvian eagle ray Pacific Ocean off Chile and Peru.
Myliobatis ridens Ruocco, Lucifora, Díaz de Astarloa, Mabragaña & Delpiani, 2012 shortnose eagle ray[8] southwestern Atlantic Ocean off Brazil and Argentina.
Myliobatis tenuicaudatus Hector, 1877 Australian/New Zealand eagle ray near rocky reefs around New Zealand and southern Australia
Myliobatis tobijei Bleeker, 1854 Japanese eagle ray[7] Indonesia and the Philippines,Japan, Korea, and China.
Extinct species
Fossil tooth or plate of M. dixoni from Khouribga (Morocco), 55-45 Mya

Extinct species within this genus include:[9]

†Myliobatis acutus Agassiz, 1843
†Myliobatis affinis Chapman & Cudmore, 1924
†Myliobatis albestii Pauca, 1929
†Myliobatis altavillae Meschinelli, 1924
†Myliobatis altus Davis, 1888
†Myliobatis americanus Bravard, 1884
†Myliobatis angustidens Sismonda, 1849
†Myliobatis angustus Agassiz, 1843
†Myliobatis arcuatus Davis, 1888
†Myliobatis bellardii Issel, 1877
†Myliobatis bilobatus Dartevelle & Casier, 1943
†Myliobatis bisulcus Marsh, 1870
†Myliobatis bothriodon White, 1926
†Myliobatis canaliculatus Agassiz, 1843
†Myliobatis colei Agassiz, 1843
†Myliobatis crassidens Dartevelle & Casier, 1959
†Myliobatis dimorphus Delfortrie, 1871
†Myliobatis dispar Leriche, 1913
†Myliobatis dixoni Agassiz, 1843
†Myliobatis elatus Stromer, 1905
†Myliobatis enormis Mendiola, 1999
†Myliobatis erctensis Salinas, 1901
†Myliobatis fastigiatus Leidy, 1876
†Myliobatis fraasi Stromer, 1905
†Myliobatis frangens Eastman, 1904
†Myliobatis funiculatus Delfortrie, 1871
†Myliobatis gigas Cope, 1867
†Myliobatis girondicus Pedroni, 1844
†Myliobatis goniopleurus Agassiz, 1843
†Myliobatis granulosus Issel, 1877
†Myliobatis haueri Penecke, 1884
†Myliobatis holmesii Gibbes, 1849
†Myliobatis intermedius Dartevelle & Casier, 1943
†Myliobatis kummeli Fowler, 1911
†Myliobatis lagaillardei Thomas, 1904
†Myliobatis lateralis Agassiz, 1843
†Myliobatis leidyi Hay, 1899
†Myliobatis leognanensis Delfortrie, 1871
†Myliobatis lepersonnei Dartevelle & Casier, 1959
†Myliobatis llopisi Bauzá & Gomez Pallerola, 1982
†Myliobatis marginalis Agassiz, 1843
†Myliobatis merriami Jordan & Beal, 1913
†Myliobatis meyeri Weiler, 1922
†Myliobatis micropleurus Agassiz, 1843
†Myliobatis microrhizus Delfortrie, 1871
†Myliobatis miocenicus Böhm, 1942
†Myliobatis mokattamensis Stromer, 1905
†Myliobatis monnieri Cappetta, 1986
†Myliobatis moorabbinensis Chapman & Pritchard, 1907
†Myliobatis mordax Leidy, 1876
†Myliobatis moutai Dartevelle & Casier, 1959
†Myliobatis nzadinensis Dartevelle & Casier, 1943
†Myliobatis oweni Agassiz, 1843
†Myliobatis pachyodon Cope, 1867
†Myliobatis pachyrhizodus Fowler, 1911
†Myliobatis pentoni Woodward, 1893
†Myliobatis placentinus Carraroli, 1897
†Myliobatis plicatilis Davis, 1888
†Myliobatis prenticei Chapman & Cudmore, 1924
†Myliobatis raouxi Arambourg, 1952
†Myliobatis rima Meyer, 1844
†Myliobatis rivierei Sauvage, 1878
†Myliobatis rugosus Leidy, 1855
†Myliobatis salentinus Botti, 1877
†Myliobatis semperei Mendiola, 1999
†Myliobatis sendaicus Hatai, Murata & Masuda, 1965
†Myliobatis serratus Meyer, 1843
†Myliobatis sinhaleyus Deraniyagala, 1937
†Myliobatis stokesii Agassiz, 1843
†Myliobatis striatus Buckland, 1837
†Myliobatis strobeli Issel, 1877
†Myliobatis testae Philippi, 1846
†Myliobatis tewarii Mishra, 1980
†Myliobatis toliapicus Agassiz, 1843
†Myliobatis transversalis Gibbes, 1849
†Myliobatis tumidens Woodward, 1889
†Myliobatis undulatus Chaffee, 1939
†Myliobatis vicomicanus Cope, 1867
†Myliobatis wurnoensis White, 1934

These eagle rays lived from the Cretaceous to the Quaternary periods (from 70.6 to 0.012 Ma). Fossils of these fishes have been found worldwide.[9]

The extinct species Myliobatis dixoni is known from Tertiary deposits along the Atlantic seaboards of the United States, Brazil, Nigeria, England, and Germany.[9]