Third manta ray species confirmed in western Atlantic

There’s a 3rd species of manta ray gracefully gliding via the seas, a recent study has confirmed. Researchers have named the newly described species, discovered within the western Atlantic, Mobula yarae after Yara, a water spirit from Indigenous Brazilian mythology.

For a very long time, manta rays have been thought of a single species, Manta birostris. In 1868, Australian Museum director Gerard Krefft suggested a second species, Manta alfredi. However, it was solely in a 2009 paper that Marine Megafauna Foundation co-founder Andrea Marshall and her colleagues confirmed M. alfredi, or the reef manta ray, as a legitimate species distinct from M. birostris, the large oceanic manta ray. (More title adjustments: Manta rays have been initially categorized below the genus Manta, however have been reclassified into the genus Mobula in 2017, which additionally contains the smaller satan rays).

In the identical 2009 paper, the researchers predicted there was probably a 3rd species of manta ray within the Atlantic.

The affirmation of Mobula yarae took a number of years of cautious genetic and morphological evaluation of manta rays from throughout the Atlantic. Researchers examined 1000’s of photographs and movies of the species all through its vary, and analyzed useless specimens from Brazil, the U.S. and the Bahamas, and preserved specimens from scientific collections, stated lead writer Nayara Bucair from the University of São Paulo in Brazil.

“It was when we received the first genetic results that I realised and was certain that this was a different species,” Bucair informed Mongabay by e-mail. “Deep down, we’d all known it was a new species for years, but that day, I felt a sense of relief, certain that we could make progress.”

Visually, the newly described Atlantic manta ray seems to be a bit like each M. alfredi and M. birostris. But to the skilled eye, it has distinctive V-shaped white shoulder patches and a lighter face. “It’s a classic case where genetic analysis was needed to confirm what careful morphological observation suggested,” co-author Jessica Pate, founding father of the Florida Manta Project, stated in a statement.

M. yarae has at the moment solely been confirmed within the western Atlantic. This restricted distribution places it at a better threat of extinction than its cousins. Its extra coastal habits additionally make it “more vulnerable to the impacts of human activities and environmental degradation,” Bucair stated. “Diseases and epidemics can have a severe impact on these populations.”

M. alfredi is listed as weak on the IUCN Red List, and M. birostris as endangered. However, since M. yarae was probably thought of M. birostris all these years, each species will want reassessments to find out their true conservation standing, Bucair stated.

Formally describing M. yarae within the new examine is step one towards defending it. However, learning such an elusive species within the huge ocean is difficult and requires collaborative efforts and higher recognition of effort and management from the Global South, Bucair stated.

Banner picture: A Mobula yarae, or Atlantic manta ray. Image courtesy of Maitê Baratella/Barracuda Imagens.