Lesser devil ray

Lesser devil ray
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Elasmobranchii
Order:	Myliobatiformes
Family:	Myliobatidae
Genus:	Mobula
Species:	M. hypostoma
Binomial name
Mobula hypostoma (Bancroft, 1831)

The lesser devil ray, Mobula hypostoma, is an eagle ray in the genus Mobula.

These rays live in shallow coastal waters and can be found singly or in large shoals. The feed on crustaceans mostly, but will sometimes feed on shoals of smaller fish. Lesser devil rays are relatively small, with a maximum length of 120 cm. They have smaller cephalic fins than their larger manta cousins and have longer spineless tails.

The lesser devil ray has tasty flesh to some and can be a source of oil. They are known to swim at very high speeds and leap out of the water, often a great distance.

References

• "Mobula hypostoma". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=160997. Retrieved 18 April 2006. 
• Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2006). "Mobula hypostoma" in FishBase. February 2006 version.
• C. R. Robins and G. C. Ray (1986). A field guide to Atlantic coast fishes of North America. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.