Journal Article
The geographic distribution of reef and oceanic manta rays ( Mobula alfredi and Mobula birostris ) in Australian coastal waters
Amelia J. Armstrong; Asia O. Armstrong; Michael B. Bennett; Frazer McGregor; Kátya G. Abrantes; Adam Barnett; Anthony J. Richardson; Kathy A. Townsend; Christine L. Dudgeon
Journal of Fish Biology · Vol. 96, Issue 3 · pp. 835-840 · 2020
Abstract
The known distribution of manta rays in Australian waters is patchy, with records primarily centred around tourism hotspots. We collated 11,614 records of Mobula alfredi from photo‐ID databases ( n = 10,715), aerial surveys ( n = 378) and online reports ( n = 521). The study confirms an uninterrupted coastal distribution from north of 26°S and 31°S on the west and east coasts, respectively . More southerly M. alfredi records relate to warm‐water events with a southernmost extent at 34°S. Coastal sightings of Mobula birostris were rare ( n = 32), likely reflecting a preference for offshore waters, but encompass a wider latitudinal extent than M. alfredi of 10–40°S.