lesser devil ray

​The lesser devil ray (Mobula hypostoma), also known as the Atlantic Devilray, is in the Mobulidae family. They are endemic to the western Atlantic ocean, found to be occurring from North Carolina, down to the Gulf of Mexico, and to northern Argentina. Like other rays, they are commonly spotted in shallow waters in big groups or alone.

A dark blue-black colour on top, they have longer, spine-less tails than their manta relatives. They are a small ray, reaching only a maximum size of 120 cm (47 in) disc width. With the ability to swim fast and leap out of the water, it isn't quite yet well known why they do these acrobatic flips. Having small mouths, the lesser devil ray likes to feed mostly on crustaceans, but will sometimes feed on shoals of smaller fish.

Sadly, like others in the Mobulidae family, they are caught in longlines, nets, and other fishing methods. Little is known about how many are actually captured, but it can be understood that fishing pressure is probably mounting. However not much is known about their population trends, so they are assessed by the IUCN as Data Deficient (DD).

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GLOSSARY

• Artisanal fishery: There is, as yet, no universally-accepted definition; the term is used interchangeably with ‘small scale fishery.’ In general, artisanal fishing will be family-based, employing small or no boats and simple and/or traditional methods.
• Bycatch: The part of a fishery’s catch that is made up of non-target species.  
• Commercial fishery: The activity of catching fish and other seafood for profit.
• Crustaceans: Group of animals with a hard exoskeleton, jointed legs and segmented body.
• IUCN: International Union for Conservation of Nature.​​

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