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Occurrence of mobulids in the Azores, central North Atlantic

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 July 2014

A.F. Sobral  and
P. Afonso
A.F. Sobral*
Affiliation:
Department of Oceanography and Fisheries, Institute of Marine Research at the University of the Azores, 9901-862 Horta, Portugal LARSyS—Laboratory of Robotics and Systems in Engineering and Science, Avenida Rovisco Pais, 11, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal
P. Afonso
Affiliation:
Department of Oceanography and Fisheries, Institute of Marine Research at the University of the Azores, 9901-862 Horta, Portugal LARSyS—Laboratory of Robotics and Systems in Engineering and Science, Avenida Rovisco Pais, 11, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: A.F. Sobral, Department of Oceanography and Fisheries, Institute of Marine Research at the University of the Azores, 9901-862 Horta, Portugal email: anasobral@uac.pt
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Abstract

An updated checklist of manta and devil rays (family Mobulidae) occurring in waters of the Azores archipelago is given based on new data from underwater images and on the re-evaluation of previous citations for the region. There are, at least, three species of mobulids occurring in the region, possibly four: giant manta Manta birostris; Chilean devil ray Mobula tarapacana; and one or both of the giant devil ray Mobula mobular/spinetail devil ray Mobula japanica species complex. These findings have direct implications for the known ranges of all these species and for the conservation of their North Atlantic populations.

Keywords

oceanic habitatMobulidaeMantaMobulachecklist
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 94 , Issue 8 , December 2014 , pp. 1671 - 1675
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2014 

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