Occurrence of mobulid rays in Northwest Madagascar

Stella Diamant; Caterina Bosio; Joshua Rambahiniarison; Chris Scarffe; Michel Strogoff; Jeremy J. Kiszka; Rhett Bennett; Tanguy Guillemain d'Echon; Elina Sourisseau; Leonce C. M. Fidiarisandratra; Salvatore Cerchio; Stephanie Venables; Anna Flam; Fanja Ratsitoharana Andrianarisoa; Carlotta Barba; Irene Rasoamananto; Simon J. Pierce

doi:10.1007/s10641-025-01674-y

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Occurrence of mobulid rays in Northwest Madagascar

Journal article

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Occurrence of mobulid rays in Northwest Madagascar

Stella Diamant, Caterina Bosio, Joshua Rambahiniarison, Chris Scarffe, Michel Strogoff, Jeremy J. Kiszka, Rhett Bennett, Tanguy Guillemain d'Echon, Elina Sourisseau, Leonce C. M. Fidiarisandratra, …

Environmental Biology of Fishes, Vol.108, pp.365-378

2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-025-01674-y

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Abstract

manta ray

devil ray

conservation

mobulidae

fishery

The waters around Nosy Be in northwest Madagascar are well-known for the occurrence of large planktivores, such as whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) and Omura’s whales (Balaenoptera omurai). Between 2016 and 2022, sighting data on mobulid rays were opportunistically collected during tourism activities. Additional sources, including citizen science submissions, tourism operator reports, and social media records, were used to compile sightings of three mobulid ray species. A total of 255 encounters were documented, with Mobula mobular (n = 165) being the most common, followed by M. birostris (n = 60) and M. kuhlii (n = 30). Notably, the absence of confirmed M. alfredi records since 2015 suggests a potential local decline. This study highlights Nosy Be as a habitat for mobulid rays and emphasises the necessity for further species monitoring, ongoing identification of potential threats, and management initiatives aiming at reducing mortality from gillnet fishing.

Details

Title: Occurrence of mobulid rays in Northwest Madagascar
Authors: Stella Diamant (Corresponding Author) - Madagascar Whale Shark Project (Madagascar, Nosy Be) - MWSP
Caterina Bosio - Madagascar Whale Shark Project (Madagascar, Nosy Be) - MWSP
Joshua Rambahiniarison - Coastal Oceans Research and Development in the Indian Ocean
Chris Scarffe - Madagascar Film & Photography (Madagascar, Nosy Be) - MFP
Michel Strogoff - Madagascar Film & Photography (Madagascar, Nosy Be) - MFP
Jeremy J. Kiszka - Florida International University
Rhett Bennett - Wildlife Conservation Society
Tanguy Guillemain d'Echon - Baleines Rand'eau (Madagascar, Nosy Be) - LBR
Elina Sourisseau - Baleines Rand'eau (Madagascar, Nosy Be) - LBR
Leonce C. M. Fidiarisandratra - Madagascar Whale Shark Project (Madagascar, Nosy Be) - MWSP
Salvatore Cerchio - African Aquatic Conservation Fund (United States, Chilmark) - AACF
Stephanie Venables - Marine Megafauna Foundation
Anna Flam - Marine Megafauna Foundation
Fanja Ratsitoharana Andrianarisoa - Safari Baleine (Madagascar, Ampagnorina) - SBMA
Carlotta Barba - Manta Diving Nosy Be (Madagascar, Ambondrona) - MDNB
Irene Rasoamananto - University of Toliara
Simon J. Pierce (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and Engineering
Publication details: Environmental Biology of Fishes, Vol.108, pp.365-378
Publisher: Springer Dordrecht
Date published: 2025
DOI: 10.1007/s10641-025-01674-y
ISSN: 1573-5133; 0378-1909
Copyright note: © The Author(s) 2025. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
Data Availability: Mobula birostris photo-ID data are available online at mantamatcher.org. Other data can be provided on request.
Grant note: Funding from the PADI Foundation, Aqua-Firma, Lush Foundation, the Shark Conservation Fund, and private donors made this work possible.
Organisation Unit: School of Science, Technology and Engineering
Language: English
Record Identifier: 991125705902621
Output Type: Journal article

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Collaboration types: Domestic collaboration; International collaboration
Web Of Science research areas: Ecology; Marine & Freshwater Biology

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