Armstrong, Amelia J., Armstrong, Asia O., Bennett, Michael B., McGregor, Frazer, Abrantes, Kátya G., Barnett, Adam, Richardson, Anthony J., Townsend, Kathy A., and Dudgeon, Christine L. (2020) The geographic distribution of reef and oceanic manta rays (Mobula alfredi and Mobula birostris) in Australian coastal waters. Journal of Fish Biology, 96 (3). pp. 835-840.

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Abstract

The known distribution of manta rays in Australian waters is patchy, with records primarily centred around tourism hotspots. We collated 11,614 records of Mobula alfredi from photo-ID databases (n = 10,715), aerial surveys (n = 378) and online reports (n = 521). The study confirms an uninterrupted coastal distribution from north of 26 degrees S and 31 degrees S on the west and east coasts, respectively. More southerly M. alfredi records relate to warm-water events with a southernmost extent at 34 degrees S. Coastal sightings of Mobula birostris were rare (n = 32), likely reflecting a preference for offshore waters, but encompass a wider latitudinal extent than M. alfredi of 10-40 degrees S.

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