An integrative taxonomy investigation unravels a cryptic species of Mobula Rafinesque, 1810 (Mobulidae, Myliobatiformes), from the Atlantic Ocean Author Bucair, Nayara Departamento de Oceanografia Biológica, Laboratório de Ecologia da Reprodução e do Recrutamento de Organismos Marinhos (ECORREP), Instituto Oceanográfico, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil & Programa de Pós-Graduação Em Oceanografia, Instituto Oceanográfico, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil nayarabucair@usp.br Author Hinojosa-Alvarez, Silvia Tecnológico de Monterrey, School of Engineering and Sciences, Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico Author Marshall, Andrea Denise Marine Megafauna Foundation, West Palm Beach, FL, USA Author Pate, Jessica Marine Megafauna Foundation, West Palm Beach, FL, USA Author Francini, Carlo Leopoldo Bezerra Projeto Mantas Do Brasil, Instituto Laje Viva, Santos, SP, Brazil Author Garrido, Amana Guedes Center of Marine Biology, University of São Paulo, São Sebastião, SP, Brazil Author Capel, Katia Cristina Cruz Center of Marine Biology, University of São Paulo, São Sebastião, SP, Brazil & Department of Genetics and Evolution, Federal University of São Carlos, São Carlos, SP, Brazil Author Loboda, Thiago Silva Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil Author Monteiro, Jhonatas Sirino Center of Marine Biology, University of São Paulo, São Sebastião, SP, Brazil Author Bruno, Carlos Eduardo Malavasi Departamento de Tecnologia Dos Alimentos, Faculdade de Veterinária, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil Author Vaga, Claudia Francesca Department of Invertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA Author Dove, Alistair D. M. Museum of Science & History, Jacksonville, FL, USA Author Hoopes, Lisa A. IUCN Center for Species Survival, Georgia Aquarium, Atlanta, GA, USA Author Perry, Cameron IUCN Center for Species Survival, Georgia Aquarium, Atlanta, GA, USA Author Kitahara, Marcelo V. Center of Marine Biology, University of São Paulo, São Sebastião, SP, Brazil text Environmental Biology of Fishes 2025 2025-07-23 108 1 35 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-025-01727-2 journal article 311514 10.1007/s10641-025-01727-2 3df32396-68db-4742-ae1f-e484de47f3b3 16739693

Table 6 Morphometric comparison of the three manta ray species— Mobula yarae sp. nov., Manta birostris, and Mobula alfredi. The measurements were expressed as a percentage of disc length (DL)

	M. yarae sp. nov. a			M. birostris b			M. alfredi c
aIncludes measurements from Bigelow & Schroeder (1953, p. 504) b, cReference and row data from Marshall et al. (2008, 2009), excluding foetal data
	Min	Max	Mean	Min	Max	Mean	Min	Max	Mean
Disc width	219.4	224.7	222.7	215.69	230.15	226.04	214.79	237.00	225.77
Anterior projection	52.2	Na	Na	34.73	36.77	35.73	39.60	54.08	43.93
Disc thickness	Na	Na	Na	23.10	29.30	26.61	20.00	24.75	22.51
Dorsal fin base	11.9	14.3	13.1	12.89	13.69	13.17	14.09	17.00	14.97
Dorsal fin height	8.2	11.3	9.4	7.60	8.81	8.20	9.09	11.44	10.17
Dorsal fin anterior margin	11.3	16.7	13.5	12.89	14.29	13.40	10.30	15.84	13.66
Cranial width	53.3	58.3	55.6	51.82	58.36	56.31	50.00	54.00	51.95
Interspiracle distance	46.0	46.7	46.5	45.10	50.46	47.69	44.55	45.00	44.70
Spiracle length	2.7	3.6	3.1	2.92	3.69	3.18	2.18	4.10	2.85
Cephalic fin length	22.1	27.5	24.8	26.89	28.34	27.71	22.77	26.73	25.11
Cephalic fin width	11.5	12.5	12.0	11.46	14.11	12.68	8.67	12.38	10.99
Mouth width	31.0	37.6	34.9	34.17	38.30	36.74	30.69	37.00	34.53
Internarial distance	29.9	33.3	32.0	30.81	34.04	32.29	30.61	34.00	31.38
Rostrum to 1 st gill slit	15.6	17.9	16.7	17.65	19.75	18.73	15.31	20.00	18.25
Rostrum to 5th gill slit	40.4	40.7	40.5	41.46	44.07	42.87	40.00	43.50	41.79
Distance between 1 st gill slits	22.3	24.3	23.5	23.25	25.65	24.34	21.43	27.00	23.77
Distance between 5th gill slits	10.6	11.5	11.0	11.76	12.61	12.34	10.71	14.85	12.54
1 st gill slit length	20.5	22.5	21.7	20.97	22.52	21.70	20.00	22.77	21.39
2nd gill slit length	20.9	23.3	22.3	22.13	24.02	23.43	21.82	24.00	23.08
3rd gill slit length	21.6	22	21.9	21.29	23.48	22.51	20.91	25.00	22.97
4th gill slit length	19.6	19.8	19.7	18.82	20.36	19.81	18.37	23.50	20.71
5th gill slit length	15.6	15.9	15.8	14.83	15.52	15.21	14.29	18.00	16.40
Pectoral length 1	Na	Na	Na	85.71	92.16	89.68	89.11	93.00	91.40
Pectoral length 2	Na	Na	Na	102.52	112.74	109.56	112.87	122.00	116.24
Pectoral length 3	Na	Na	Na	94.27	98.78	96.82	93.07	96.04	94.37
Tail length	84.5	111.7	95.1	89.06	89.17	89.12	86.73	113.00	99.04
Tail height	1.8	2.8	2.3	1.64	1.66	1.65	2.08	2.20	2.15
Tail width	1.4	4.2	2.8	1.53	1.58	1.56	1.49	2.10	1.72
Pre-cloacal distance	81.1	82	81.5	76.11	82.28	78.89	78.35	85.00	82.94
Pelvic fin length	14.9	27.5	21.9	22.52	25.41	24.27	21.43	28.00	24.08
Width across pelvic fin base	12.8	16.1	14.3	16.72	18.32	17.33	19.80	22.00	20.86
Lower tooth band length	23.9	23.2	23.6	24.44	25.73	25.05	19.90	23.76	21.97
Head length	29.2	33.9	31.6	31.09	34.29	32.67	30.61	35.00	32.17
Diameter of eye	1.6	3.6	2.6	3.47	4.50	4.03	1.98	4.08	3.01
Rostrum to pelvic fin	102.3	Na	Na	100.28	101.52	100.87	99.00	101.02	99.79
Pre-dorsal length	85.8	Na	Na	79.55	83.89	81.34	80.99	87.00	84.10
Caudal bulb	4.1	4.5	4.3	5.98	6.69	6.34	Na	Na	Na