First photographic records of the giant manta ray Manta birostris off eastern Australia

PeerJ

卷:3

Fabrice R.A. Jaine¹  Lydie I.E. Couturier²  Tom Kashiwagi² 

[1] Climate Adaptation Flagship, CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research, Dutton Park, Australia;

[2] School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia;

关键词: Mobulidae;    Manta ray;    Australia;    Citizen science;   

DOI  :  10.7717/peerj.742

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

We present the first photographic evidence of the presence of the giant manta ray Manta birostris in east Australian waters. Two individuals were photographed off Montague Island in New South Wales and off the north east coast of Tasmania, during summer 2012 and 2014, respectively. These sightings confirm previous unverified reports on the species occurrence and extend the known distribution range of M. birostris to 40°S. We discuss these findings in the context of the species’ migratory behaviour, the regional oceanography along the south east Australian coastline and local productivity events.

【 授权许可】

Unknown