Manta hynei

Manta hynei is an extinct species of manta ray that was extant in the Pliocene. Its fossils have been found in North America, specifically North Carolina and Virginia.^[2][3] It was first described by Jim Bourdon in 1999, as a specimen dated to the Zanclean (early Pliocene). The species is known from its distinctive fossilized teeth.^[4][5] Some authors have suggested, on the basis of tooth morphology, that this species should be classified in the genus Mobula instead.^[3]

Manta hynei Temporal range: Zanclean PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Chondrichthyes
Subclass:	Elasmobranchii
Order:	Myliobatiformes
Family:	Mobulidae
Genus:	Manta
Species:	†M. hynei
Binomial name
†Manta hynei Bourdon, 1999[1]