DiscoverSpeciesSharks and rays
Smoothtail mobula
Mobula thurstoni
- Usual depth25 m
- Water temperature23–29 °C
- Best monthsMarch
- How commonRare
About this species
The bentfin devil ray, also known as the lesser devil ray, smoothtail devil ray, smoothtail mobula or Thurston's devil ray, is a species of ray in the family Mobulidae. It is found worldwide in tropical, subtropical and warm temperate oceans, with records from Australia, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Eritrea, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Japan, Malaysia, Maldives, Mexico, Myanmar, Nicaragua, Oman, Pakistan, Peru, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, United States (California), Uruguay, Vanuatu and throughout the central and western Pacific. It likely occurs in many other locations in tropical, subtropical and warm temperate oceans. It is found both offshore and near the coast.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Bentfin devil ray”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article
Where and when
Where it has been recorded
Worldwide
Loading the map
Best months
Worldwide (open data)
- January: 5 records
- February: 5 records
- March: 12 records
- April: 5 records
- May: 4 records
- June: 0 records
- July: 1 records
- August: 0 records
- September: 1 records
- October: 2 records
- November: 0 records
- December: 4 records
Depth and water temperature
Depth
Mostly recorded at 25 m · Deepest record: 25 m
Water temperature
Recorded in surface water of 23–29 °C
Names and classification
- English
- Smoothtail mobula, Bentfin Devil Ray, Lesser Devil Ray, Smoothtail Devil Ray, smoothtail mobula, Smooth-tail mobula, Smoothtail mobula, Thurston's Devil Ray, Thurton’s Devil Ray
Names in 5 more languages
- German
- Thurstons Teufelsrochen
- Spanish
- Chupasangre, Chupa Sangre, Cubana de lomo azul, Diablo, Diablo Chupasangre, Diablo Manta, Manta Diablo, manta doblada, Manta Raya, Muciélago, Murciélago
- French
- Diable de Bentfin, Mante-vampire, Mante Vampire, Mante vampire, Petite manta, Petite manta
- Japanese
- Himeitomakiei, ヒメイトマキエイ
- Thai
- ปลากระเบนราหูครีบโค้ง
Other scientific names: Dicerobatis thurstoni, Mobula lucasana
Similar species
Reef manta rayMobula alfredi
Atlantic mantaMobula birostris
- Devil ray
Mobula mobular
- Sicklefin devil ray
Mobula tarapacana
Sources and credits
Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).
- Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
- Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
- Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
- 245 open-data records from 1960 to 2024.
Log what you see on your next dive
The free DiveHive diver app keeps your logbook with every sighting and shows what lives at the site you dive next.