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Taxonomic status, biological notes, and conservation of the longhorned pygmy devil ray Mobula eregoodoo (Cantor, 1849)
Author(s) -
Notarbartolo di Sciara Giuseppe,
Adnet Sylvain,
Bennett Mike,
Broadhurst Matt K.,
Fernando Daniel,
Jabado Rima W.,
Laglbauer Betty J.L.,
Stevens Guy
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
aquatic conservation: marine and freshwater ecosystems
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.95
H-Index - 77
eISSN - 1099-0755
pISSN - 1052-7613
DOI - 10.1002/aqc.3230
Subject(s) - bycatch , fishery , range (aeronautics) , tropical eastern pacific , biology , zoology , geography , pacific ocean , oceanography , fishing , geology , materials science , composite material
The longhorned pygmy devil ray Mobula eregoodoo (Cantor, 1849), formerly known as Mobula eregoodootenkee (Bleeker, 1859), is a small mobulid with a disc reaching a maximum width of 1.3 m, widely ranging in tropical and subtropical latitudes across the Indian Ocean, the Indo‐Pacific region, and the western Pacific Ocean. A recently emerged opportunity to examine several ( n = 47) M. eregoodoo specimens bycaught in bather protection gillnets off New South Wales, Australia, together with new information assembled from other areas of its range, now allows for a redescription of the species, which was incompletely described in the past because of a paucity of specimens. Based on the morphometric, morphological, ecological, and behavioural elements presented here, corroborated by recent genetic investigations, we argue that M. eregoodoo (Cantor, 1849) is a valid species, distinct from shorthorned pygmy devil ray Mobula kuhlii (Müller & Henle, 1841). These findings are contrary to a recent revision of Mobula , where it was assessed as a synonym of M. kuhlii . The accuracy of taxonomic assessments underpins the effectiveness of species conservation, particularly when direct exploitation or bycatch in various fisheries needs to be managed for sustainability. Failing to recognize that two similar‐looking species are distinct, such as M. eregoodoo and M. kuhlii , creates uncertainties that could result in mismanagement and underestimating local and global threats of extinction.