Reef manta ray

Manta alfredi

The reef manta ray is species of ray in the family Mobulidae, one of the largest rays in the world. Among generally recognized species, it is the second-largest species of ray, only surpassed by the giant oceanic manta ray .
Its scientific name is a tribute to the British Prince Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, who was victim of an assassination attempt in Clondarf in Australia at the time the description of the species was published by the director of the Australian Museum Gerard Krefft in 1868.

Reef manta rays are typically 3 to 3.5 m in disc width, with a maximum size of about 5.5 m . Long included in ''M. birostris'', the status of the reef manta ray as a separate species was only confirmed in 2009. The reef manta ray is found widely in the tropical and subtropical Indo-Pacific, but with a few records from the tropical East Atlantic and none from the West Atlantic or East Pacific. Compared to the giant oceanic manta ray, the reef manta ray tends to be found in shallower, more coastal habitats, but local migrations are sometimes reported.
''Manta birostris'' is similar in appearance to ''Manta alfredi'' and the two species may be confused as their distribution overlaps. However, there are distinguishing features.
Manta Rays - Manta alfredi Fish,Manta Ray,Manta alfredi,Palau,Reef Manta Ray

Appearance

The reef manta ray can grow to a disc size of up to 5 m but average size commonly observed is 3 to 3.5 m .
It is dorsoventrally flattened and has large, triangular pectoral fins on either side of the disc.
At the front, it has a pair of cephalic fins which are forward extensions of the pectoral fins. These can be rolled up in a spiral for swimming or can be flared out to channel water into the large, forward-pointing, rectangular mouth when the animal is feeding.
The eyes and the spiracles are on the side of the head behind the cephalic fins, and the 5 gill slits are on the ventral surface.
It has a small dorsal fin and the tail is long and whip-like. The manta ray does not have a spiny tail as do the closely related devil rays .
The color of the dorsal side is dark black to midnight blue with scattered whitish and greyish areas on top head.
The ventral surface is white, sometimes with dark spots and blotches. The markings can often be used to recognise individual fish.
''Manta alfredi'' is similar in appearance to ''Manta birostris'' and the two species may be confused as their distribution overlaps. However, there are distinguishing features.
Spaceship This is the more common variation of the Reef Manta Ray - Manta alfredi, around 4 meters in wing span. Manta Rays are also fondly called Gentle Giants as despite their size, they are harmless to humans and have lost the sting in their tail. They swim by 'flapping' their 'wings' in a gentle manner. The markings on the belly of Manta Rays are used to identify them as they are like human's fingerprints. No 2 Manta Rays have similar abdomen markings. This has allowed monitoring of them as their photographs can be uploaded to an online database indicating the location where they have been taken. This photo will then be cross referenced to the database and if a match is found, then the locations they have been photographed will give an idea if they stays put in a location or if they move around to different locations. They are classified as vulnerable due to overfishing and 'alternative fishing' in-lieu of Shark's fins :( Geotagged,Indonesia,Manta,Manta Ray,Manta alfredi,Reef manta ray,Winter

Distribution

The reef manta ray has a widespread distribution in tropical and subtropical waters worldwide. It can be observed in some well-known spots like for example in the eastern Ocean Pacific and in the Indo-Pacific , Maldives, Mozambique, Australia, Micronesia, Philippines...).

Reef manta rays live in a more or less identical wide area with the possibility of short migration to follow the zooplankton. They therefore have a relatively sedentary behavior with precise areas for cleaning and feeding still within close proximity of coasts, reefs or islands.Marshall, A., Kashiwagi, T., Bennett, M.B., Deakos, M., Stevens, G., McGregor, F., Clark, T., Ishihara, H. & Sato, K. 2011. Manta alfredi. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2015.2. . Downloaded on 07 August 2015.
Melanistic Reef Manta Ray This is the Black version, Melanistic version of Reef Manta Ray, Manta alfredi. They are considered a rarity, aside from another rarer version, the White Manta, Leucistic mantas, which are white or almost all white in colour including their back. This individual was rather huge, easily 4 meters, possibly up to 4.5 meters wing span. Bali,Geotagged,Indonesia,Manta alfredi,Reef manta ray,Winter,manta ray,melanistic

Behavior

The reef manta ray has a pelagic lifestyle and feeds by filtering sea water in order to catch his favorite food that represents zooplankton.
Research would indicate that mantas probably live to at least 50 years old.

The reef manta ray, as the oceanic manta ray, is ovoviviparous. After mating, the fertilized eggs develop within the female's oviduct. At first, they are enclosed in an egg case and the developing embryos feeds on the yolk. After the egg hatches, the pup remains in the oviduct and receives nourishment from a milky secretion. As it does not have a placental connection with its mother, the pup relies on buccal pumping to obtain oxygen. The brood size is usually one but occasionally two embryos develop simultaneously. The gestation period is thought to be 12–13 months. When fully developed, the pup is 1.4 m in disc width, weighs 9 kg and resembles an adult. It is expelled from the oviduct, usually near the coast, and it remains in a shallow-water environment for a few years while it grows.
Manta Ray - Manta alfredi This Manta Rays are very graceful when they swim, more like flying in the water, flapping their wings. Geotagged,Indonesia,Manta Ray,Manta alfredi,Reef manta ray,Winter

Habitat

The reef manta ray has a widespread distribution in tropical and subtropical waters worldwide. It can be observed in some well-known spots like for example in the eastern Ocean Pacific and in the Indo-Pacific , Maldives, Mozambique, Australia, Micronesia, Philippines...).

Reef manta rays live in a more or less identical wide area with the possibility of short migration to follow the zooplankton. They therefore have a relatively sedentary behavior with precise areas for cleaning and feeding still within close proximity of coasts, reefs or islands.Marshall, A., Kashiwagi, T., Bennett, M.B., Deakos, M., Stevens, G., McGregor, F., Clark, T., Ishihara, H. & Sato, K. 2011. Manta alfredi. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2015.2. . Downloaded on 07 August 2015.

References:

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Taxonomy
KingdomAnimalia
DivisionChordata
ClassChondrichthyes
OrderMyliobatiformes
FamilyMyliobatidae
GenusManta
SpeciesM. alfredi
Photographed in
Indonesia
Maldives
Malaysia
Palau