Species: Mobula hypostoma, Devil Ray, West Atlantic Pygmy Devil Ray

Mobula hypostoma (Bancroft, 1831)

Devil Ray, West Atlantic Pygmy Devil Ray

Head projecting, relatively narrow; front edge of snout between horns not concave; large triangular "wings" (pectoral fin flaps), with front edge straight to slightly convex; head horns relatively long (width ~1/2 their length) with blunt tips; spiracles small (<1/2 eye), circular, below plane of pectoral fins, with a groove from them to over the eye; mouth on underside of head; teeth on both jaws, upper jaws with 36-72 and lower jaws 38-58 rows; teeth of females and juveniles with rounded tips, those of mature males with 2 (1-3) long tips; upper and lower teeth bands <55% of width of mouth; filter plates in gills are separate at their tips, with acorn-shaped lobes at their ends, side lobes of those plates densely covered with denticles; tail slender, relatively short (< disc width), without spine, its base compressed; skin with fine prickles sparse or close-set in a belt along center of back from head to dorsal fin, plus scattered on pectorals.

Top variable: light brown, grey or black, may be mottled or with spots; top edges and inner tips of head horns black; usually dark stripe along top edge of mouth; may have pale grey collar behind eyes; sides of neck before gill slits brown to grey; dorsal fin with dark edges, center grey; white ventral marks extend up behind and above eye; underside white, pectoral tips grey.

Grows to a disc width of 125 cm, 55 cm at birth.

Habitat: pelagic coastal waters.

Depth: 0-100 m.

Trans-Atlantic; The central US to Argentina.