Myliobatis


Myliobatis is a genus of eagle rays in the family Myliobatidae.

Description

Myliobatis species can reach a width up to about. Their bodies consist of a rhomboidal disc, wider than long, with one dorsal fin. The head is broad and short, with eyes and spiracles on the sides. The tail is slender, with one or two large spines at the base, without tail fin.
The teeth are arranged in the lower and upper jaws in flat tooth plates called pavement teeth, each consisting of about seven series of plates, which are used to crush clam shells and crustaceans.

Biology

Myliobatis species are ovoviviparous. Their gestation lasts about six months, and a female produces four to seven embryos. Myliobatis species mainly feed on molluscs, bottom-living crustaceans, and small fishes.

Habitat

Myliobatis species live in warm, shallow waters. Adults prefer sandy shores, while juveniles can usually be encountered offshore.

Species

Extant species

Currently, 11 species in this genus are recognized:
ImageScientific nameCommon nameDistribution
Myliobatis aquila common eagle rayAtlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea and the south-western Indian Ocean.
Myliobatis australis Macleay, 1981Australian bull rayEastern Indian Ocean: southern Australia, from Western Australia to Queensland.
Myliobatis californica T. N. Gill, 1865bat eagle rayeastern Pacific Ocean, between the Oregon coast and the Gulf of California.
Myliobatis chilensis Philippi , 1893Chilean eagle raycoasts of Chile and Peru
Myliobatis freminvillei Lesueur, 1824bullnose eagle rayfrom Cape Cod down to Argentina
Myliobatis goodei Garman, 1885southern eagle rayAtlantic coast, from the tip of Florida down to Argentina
Myliobatis hamlyni J. D. Ogilby, 1911purple eagle rayAustralia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Okinawa
Myliobatis longirostris Applegate & Fitch, 1964snouted eagle rayPacific Ocean from Baja California and the Gulf of California to Sechura, Peru
Myliobatis peruvianus Garman, 1913Peruvian eagle rayPacific Ocean off Chile and Peru.
Myliobatis ridens Ruocco, Lucifora, Díaz de Astarloa, Mabragaña & Delpiani, 2012shortnose eagle raysouthwestern Atlantic Ocean off Brazil and Argentina.
Myliobatis tenuicaudatus Hector, 1877Australian/New Zealand eagle raynear rocky reefs around New Zealand and southern Australia
Myliobatis tobijei Bleeker, 1854Japanese eagle rayIndonesia and the Philippines, Japan, Korea, and China.

Extinct species

Extinct species within this genus include:
These eagle rays lived from the Cretaceous to the Quaternary periods. Fossils of these fishes have been found worldwide.
The extinct species Myliobatis dixoni is known from Tertiary deposits along the Atlantic seaboards of the United States, Brazil, Nigeria, England, and Germany.