Mobula

Mobula
Temporal range: 34–0 Ma Early Oligocene to present[1]
Mobula sp breaching, Baja California
CITES Appendix II (CITES)[2]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Chondrichthyes
Subclass: Elasmobranchii
Order: Myliobatiformes
Family: Mobulidae
Genus: Mobula
Rafinesque, 1810
Type species
Raja mobular

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"
  1. ^ Sepkoski, Jack (2002). "A compendium of fossil marine animal genera (Chondrichthyes entry)". Bulletins of American Paleontology. 364: 560. Archived from the original on 10 May 2012. Retrieved 9 January 2008.
  2. ^ "Appendices". CITES. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  3. ^ a b White; Corrigan; Yang; Henderson; Bazinet; Swofford; Naylor (2017). "Phylogeny of the manta and devilrays (Chondrichthyes: mobulidae), with an updated taxonomic arrangement for the family". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 182: 50–75. doi:10.1093/zoolinnean/zlx018.
  4. ^ Nelson, J.S. (2006). Fishes of the World (4 ed.). John Wiley & Sons.
  5. ^ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Species in genus Mobula". FishBase. July 2017 version.
  6. ^ Pavid, Katie (n.d.). "The spectacular display of the mobula ray". Natural History Museum. The Trustees of The Natural History Museum, London. Retrieved 25 September 2022.