Manta birostris
Giant Manta
Federal:
Threatened
NS
G3
Collection Details
Specimens
Photos
There are no photos available for this taxon yet.
Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Chondrichthyes (Cartilaginous Fishes)
Myliobatiformes (Stingrays)
Myliobatidae (Eagle Rays)
Manta
Manta birostris (Giant Manta)
Description
This species account was compiled from
McEachran & Fechhelm (McEachran, J.D. and J.D. Fechhelm. Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico. University of Texas Press, Austin.)
and processed using AI-assisted text extraction.
It may contain errors in spelling, punctuation, or formatting.
When citing, please reference the original source rather than this page.
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Characters
Lozenge-shaped disc; broad head bordered by large cephalic fins; slender, relatively short, whip-like tail; head relatively broad; anterior margin of snout between cephalic fins concave; cephalic fins about one-half as broad at base as they are long; nasal curtain rectangular with rounded corners and smooth posterior margin; mouth terminal but lower jaw somewhat projecting; teeth present only on lower jaw, in about 270 series in quincunx arrangement; dorsal fin originates slightly anterior to axil of pectoral fin; dorsal fin base about one-third of mouth width; serrated spines either present or absent on tail; body covered with small denticles or tubercles
Reddish, olivaceous brown, or black dorsally and white ventrally; dorsal surface either plain colored or patterned with white spots, patches, or chevrons; ventral surface varies from plain to blotched with gray
Distribution
Southern New England and Georges Bank (rare), North Carolina to central Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico, Bermuda, the Bahamas, and the Antilles
Western Gulf around the Flower Gardens Reefs
Habitat Associations
Tropical to warm temperate seas, near the surface over or near continental and insular shelves; depth range not specified
Biology
Planktonic and nektonic crustaceans and fishes
Maximum known size is 430 to 460 cm DW
Litter size unknown; young are 120 cm DW at birth
Phylogeny and Morphologically Similar Fishes
Distinguished from other species of the family by the combination of characters described
References
Bigelow and Schroeder 1953a
Cervigon 1966
Bohlke and Chaplin 1968
Hoese and Moore 1977
C. R. Robins et al. 1986
Notabartolo-di-Sciara and Hillyer 1989
Comments On Manta birostris