Lesser devil ray

The lesser devil ray (Mobula hypostoma) is a species of devil ray in the family Mobulidae.

Lesser devil ray
Conservation status
Endangered  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
CITES Appendix II (CITES)[2]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Chondrichthyes
Subclass:	Elasmobranchii
Order:	Myliobatiformes
Family:	Mobulidae
Genus:	Mobula
Species:	M. hypostoma
Binomial name
Mobula hypostoma (Bancroft, 1831)
Range of Mobula hypostoma, not including M. rochebrunei
Synonyms
Cephalopterus hypostomus[1] Cephaloptera massenoidea[3] Cephaloptera olfersii Ceratobatis robertsi Ceratobatic robertsii Mobula olfersii Mobula reobertsi Mobula rochebrunei?

Habitat

These rays live in shallow, warm waters and can be found in shoals of up to 40 individuals, although more often ranging between 2 and 10.^[4]

They occur along the coasts of the western Atlantic, from North Carolina to northern Argentina.^[5] The related Mobula rochebrunei has occasionally been recovered as a junior synonym of M. hypostoma, extending the species' range to the eastern Atlantic.^[6]

Diet

They mostly feed on zooplankton such as small crustaceans, although they can occasionally eat schooling fish, using their cephalic horns to funnel prey into their mouth.^[5]

Description

Lesser devil rays are relatively small, with a maximum width of about 125 cm (49 in). They have forward-facing cephalic horns, while their long spineless tails distinguish them from their relatives M. mobular.^[4][5]

Dorsal coloration varies from light brown to black, although some specimens have been reported as blue.^[5] Individuals sometimes possess a dark grey collar between their spiracles.^[4]