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Description
The devil fish, or the giant devil ray (Mobula mobular) is the largest species in the genus Mobula. It is the only mobuild species that lives in the Mediterranean Sea. The species has been observed to have a maximum disk width of 5.2 meters (roughly 17 feet) [2]. The species is also considered endangered given its decreasing population density [3].

Distribution and Habitat
The giant devil ray has a range that is limited to the Mediterranean Sea and possibly the north Atlantic Ocean, and can be described as living in the neritic zone. The species has been recorded in a number of Mediterranean countries such as Croatia, Greece, Italy, and Turkey, which shows that the species has a basin-wide distribution [3]. Giant devil rays are usually seen in deep coastal waters but are occasionally seen in shallow waters. In a tagging experiment conducted by the Italian National Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), three giant devil rays were tagged and their depth was observed throughout different times of the day. The rays reached a maximum depth of 600-700 meters (1960-2300 feet) but mostly spent their time between 0 and 50 meters (0 and 165 feet); they prefer warmer waters with a temperature between 20°C and 29°C (68°F and 84°F). The giant devil rays also deep dive at random times, instances not correlated to the time of day unlike how other species deep dive at specific times of day [2]. In other observations studying ray abundance and habitat, giant devil rays were observed alone and occasionally in groups with a maximum of 18 rays. The same study also emphasizes that the rays undergo a species migration across the Mediterranean Sea with the seasons, taking advantage of warm, highly productive waters[5].

Biology and Ecology
The average lifespan of a giant devil ray is 20 years. It is an epipelagic species, and it has a very low reproductive capacity. This means that the species gives birth to a single offspring at unknown intervals. It can be predicted that at the rate that its population is declining now, the population will decline by at least 50% in the next 60 years. This is due to a number of threats including the poor likelihood of recovering from declining populations [1]. The giant devil ray feeds on planktonic crustaceans and small schooling fish which get trapped on its specialized branchial filter plates. It mostly eats euphausiid shrimp (Meganyctiphanes norvegica) and small mesopelagic and clupeid fishes [2].

Conservation status
All species of the genus Mobula have been targeted by recreational and commercial fisheries for centuries [4]. The giant devil ray is listed as endangered by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Its population trend is decreasing. There are many threats against the giant devil ray such as fishing, resource harvesting (being taken as bycatch in different fisheries), industrial garbage, and solid waste [1]. Most of the information on the giant devil ray has been gathered through bycatch data because the species has a high bycatch mortality. Giant devil ray mortalities are mostly reported as bycatch from swordfish nets, and occasionally reported as bycatch from longlines, purse seines, trawls, trammel nets, and tuna traps [2]. Fisheries in Gaza and Egypt are reported to catch giant devil rays for local consumption, and they are reported as bycatch in various places including the Indian Ocean and Atlantic Ocean [4]. Off of the Adriatic Sea, the giant devil ray is legally protected in Italy and Croatia. Fishing, transportation, landing, and trade of the giant devil ray is forbidden in Albania. The giant devil ray is also protected under the Bern and Barcelona conventions [3].

References

[1] Notarbartolo di Sciara, G., Serena, F. & Mancusi, C. 2015. Mobula mobular. The IUCN Red

List of Threatened Species 2015: e.T39418A48942228.

http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-1.RLTS.T39418A48942228.en. Downloaded

on 03 March 2019

[2] Canese S, Cardinali A, Romeo T, Giusti M, Salvati E, Angiolillo M, Greco S (2011) Diving

behavior of the giant devil ray in the Mediterranean Sea. Endang Species Res

14:171-176. https://doi.org/10.3354/esr00349

[3] Holcer, D., Lazar, B. , Mackelworth, P. and Fortuna, C. M. (2013), Rare or just unknown?

The occurrence of the giant devil ray (Mobula mobular) in the Adriatic Sea. J. Appl.

Ichthyol., 29: 139-144. doi:10.1111/jai.12034

[4] Croll, D. A., Dewar, H., Dulvy, N. K., Fernando, D., Francis, M. P., Galván‐Magaña, F.,

Hall, M., Heinrichs, S., Marshall, A., Mccauley, D., Newton, K. M.,

Notarbartolo‐Di‐Sciara, G., O'Malley, M., O'Sullivan, J., Poortvliet, M., Roman, M.,

Stevens, G., Tershy, B. R., and White, W. T. (2016) Vulnerabilities and fisheries impacts:

the uncertain future of manta and devil rays. ''Aquatic Conserv: Mar. Freshw. Ecosyst.'', 26:

562–575. doi: 10.1002/aqc.2591.

[5] Sciara, Giuseppe Notarbartolo di, et al. “The Devil We Don't Know: Investigating Habitat

and Abundance of Endangered Giant Devil Rays in the North-Western Mediterranean

Sea.” PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, 18 Nov. 2015,

journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0141189.