title: Lesser devil rays Mobula cf. hypostoma from Venezuela are almost twice their previously reported maximum size and may be a new sub-species.
abstract: Three rays opportunistically obtained near Margarita Island, Venezuela, were identified as lesser devil rays Mobula cf. hypostoma, but their disc widths were between 207 and 230 cm, which is almost double the reported maximum disc width of 120 cm for this species. These morphometric data suggest that lesser devil rays are either larger than previously recognized or that these specimens belong to an unknown sub-species of Mobula in the Caribbean Sea. Better data are needed to describe the distribution, phenotypic variation and population structure of this poorly known species.
authors.affiliation: Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Marinas, Apartado Postal 592, La Paz, Baja California Sur C.P. 23000, Mexico.|Escuela de Ciencias Aplicadas del Mar (ECAM), Boca del Río, Universidad de Oriente, Núcleo Nueva Esparta (UDONE), Boca del Río, Nueva Esparta, C.P. 06304, Venezuela.|Proyecto Iniciativa Batoideos (PROVITA), Caracas, Venezuela.
authors.forename: N R
authors.initials: NR
authors.lastname: Ehemann
authors.affiliation: Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Marinas, Apartado Postal 592, La Paz, Baja California Sur C.P. 23000, Mexico.|Escuela de Ciencias Aplicadas del Mar (ECAM), Boca del Río, Universidad de Oriente, Núcleo Nueva Esparta (UDONE), Boca del Río, Nueva Esparta, C.P. 06304, Venezuela.
authors.forename: L V
authors.initials: LV
authors.lastname: González-González
authors.affiliation: Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
authors.forename: A W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Trites
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017691:Caribbean Region; D012860:Skates, Fish / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000145:classification*; D013045:Species Specificity; D014687:Venezuela
keywords: Caribbean Sea; Chondrichthyes; Myliobatiformes; batoids; by-catch