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Mobulidae
Taxonomy
Mobulidae was named by Gill (1893). It is extant.
It was synonymized subjectively with Mantidae by Hay (1902); it was reranked as the subfamily Mobulinae by Cicimurri and Knight (2009), Ebersole et al. (2019), Cicimurri et al. (2022).
It was assigned to Masticura by Jordan (1963); to Mobuloidea by Cappetta (1987); to Myliobatidae by Cicimurri and Knight (2009), Ebersole et al. (2019), Cicimurri et al. (2022); and to Myliobatiformes by Purdy et al. (2001), Tabuce et al. (2005), Kent (2018), Cicimurri et al. (2025).
It was synonymized subjectively with Mantidae by Hay (1902); it was reranked as the subfamily Mobulinae by Cicimurri and Knight (2009), Ebersole et al. (2019), Cicimurri et al. (2022).
It was assigned to Masticura by Jordan (1963); to Mobuloidea by Cappetta (1987); to Myliobatidae by Cicimurri and Knight (2009), Ebersole et al. (2019), Cicimurri et al. (2022); and to Myliobatiformes by Purdy et al. (2001), Tabuce et al. (2005), Kent (2018), Cicimurri et al. (2025).
Synonymy list
| Year | Name and author |
|---|---|
| 1893 | Mobulidae Gill |
| 1963 | Mobulidae Jordan p. 605 |
| 1987 | Mobulidae Cappetta p. 175 |
| 2001 | Mobulidae Purdy et al. p. 96 |
| 2005 | Mobulidae Tabuce et al. p. 388 |
| 2009 | Mobulinae Cicimurri and Knight p. 639 |
| 2018 | Mobulidae Kent p. 130 |
| 2019 | Mobulinae Ebersole et al. p. 144 |
| 2022 | Mobulinae Cicimurri et al. |
| 2025 | Mobulidae Cicimurri et al. p. 70 |
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If no rank is listed, the taxon is considered an unranked clade in modern classifications. Ranks may be repeated or presented in the wrong order because authors working on different parts of the classification may disagree about how to rank taxa.
Fm. Mobulidae Gill 1893
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G. †Archaeomanta Herman 1979
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†Archaeomanta melenhorsti Herman 1979
†Archaeomanta priemi Herman 1979
G. †Brachioptilon Newman 1849
G. †Eoplinthicus Cappetta and Stringer 2002
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†Eoplinthicus yazooensis Cappetta and Stringer 2002
G. Mobula Rafinesque 1810 [devil ray]
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Mobula auriculata Rafinesque 1810 [giant devil ray]
†Mobula loupianensis Cappetta 1970
†Mobula pectinata Capetta 1970
Invalid names: Apterurus Rafinesque 1810 [synonym], Cephalopterus Riso 1810 [synonym], Ceratobatis Boulenger 1897 [synonym], Ceratoptera [synonym], Dicerobatus Blainville 1816 [synonym], Manta Bancroft 1829 [synonym], Pterocephalus Swainson 1838 [synonym]
Diagnosis
No diagnoses are available
Measurements
No measurements are available
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| Source: o = order, subp = subphylum | |||||
| References: Wagner 2023, Hendy et al. 2009, Carroll 1988 | |||||
Age range
Maximum range based only on fossils: base of the Danian to the top of the MN 13 or 66.00000 to 5.09000 Ma
Minimum age of oldest fossil (stem group age): 61.66 Ma
Minimum age of oldest fossil (stem group age): 61.66 Ma
Collections (101 total)
| Time interval | Ma | Country or state | Original ID and collection number |
|---|---|---|---|
| Danian | Morocco | Archaeomanta sp. (91362 214369 214372 214834) | |
| Selandian | Morocco | Archaeomanta priemi (133217) | |
| Selandian - Thanetian | Morocco | Archaeomanta priemi (214839) Archaeomanta priemi, Burnhamia daviesi (214848) | |
| Thanetian | Algeria | Burnhamia sp., Archaeomanta priemi (232262) | |
| Early/Lower Eocene | USA (Mississippi) | Archaeomanta melenhorsti, Burnhamia daviesi, Burnhamia fetahi (62890) | |
| Ypresian | Belgium (Antwerpen) | Eomobula stehmanni (91361) | |
| Ypresian | Morocco (Oued Zem) | Archaeomanta priemi (35132) | |
| Ypresian | United Kingdom | Rhinoptera daviesi (85229) | |
| Ypresian | USA (South Carolina) | Burnhamia daviesi (203258) | |
| Ypresian | Morocco | Archaeomanta melenhorsti (214849) Archaeomanta melenhorsti, Burnhamia fetahi (116904 214847 214851) Archaeomanta sp. (71235) Burnhamia sp. 1 (214840) Burnhamia sp. 2 (158991) Burnhamia sp. 2, Archaeomanta melenhorsti (214841) Burnhamia sp. 3, Archaeomanta melenhorsti (214846 214850) | |
| Ypresian - Lutetian | USA (Alabama) | Burnhamia daviesi (81179 209524) | |
| Wasatchian | USA (Virginia) | Archaeomanta melenhorsti, Burnhamia daviesi (15595) | |
| Lutetian | Togo | Burnhamia sp., Mobula sp., Archaeomanta melenhorsti (32991) | |
| Lutetian | Ukraine | Burnhamia sp., Archaeomanta melenhorsti (211009) | |
| Lutetian | United Kingdom (England) | Archaeomanta melenhorsti, Burnhamia daviesi (41998) Archaeomanta sp., Burnhamia daviesi (41888) Burnhamia sp., Archaeomanta melenhorsti, Burnhamia daviesi (41989 41992) Burnhamia sp., Burnhamia daviesi (41994 41996) | |
| Lutetian | Ukraine (Luhansk) | Burnhamia sp. (120885) | |
| Lutetian | USA (Alabama) | Burnhamia sp. (13346) | |
| Lutetian | Morocco | Eomobula stehmanni (91339) | |
| Lutetian | Jordan | Archaeomanta sp., Burnhamia sp. (65226) | |
| Lutetian | Senegal | Burnhamia sp. (133429) | |
| Middle Eocene | Uzbekistan | Archaeomanta melenhorsti, Burnhamia daviesi (62573) Burnhamia sp. (45701 45702) | |
| Middle Eocene | Ukraine (Crimea) | Burnhamia sp., Archaeomanta melenhorsti (140018) | |
| Bartonian | USA (Alabama) | Burnhamia daviesi (81266 209520) Eoplinthicus yazooensis (176944) | |
| Bartonian | Tunisia (Sidi Bouzid Township) | Archaeomanta sp., Amamriabatis heni (173640) | |
| Late/Upper Eocene | USA (Georgia) | Rhinoptera daviesi (73434) | |
| Priabonian | Western Sahara | Archaeomanta sp., Burnhamia sp., Mobula sp. (96686) Mobula sp. (96688) | |
| Priabonian | Egypt | Archaeomanta sp., Burnhamia sp. (137579) Archaeomanta sp., Burnhamia sp., Eoplinthicus sp. (137550 137588) Burnhamia sp. (137563 137564 137569 137582) Burnhamia sp., Eoplinthicus sp. (137547 137548 137554 137556 137558 137573 137583) Eoplinthicus sp. (137546 137575 137586) | |
| Rupelian | USA (South Carolina) | Mobula sp. (224900) Mobula sp., Plinthicus sp. (60444) | |
| Chattian | USA (South Carolina) | Plinthicus stenodon (211540) Plinthicus stenodon, Mobula loupianensis, Paramobula fragilis (97550) | |
| Chattian | USA (Mississippi) | Plinthicus sp., Paramobula fragilis (133111) | |
| Late/Upper Oligocene | USA (North Carolina) | Plinthicus stenodon (71651) | |
| Aquitanian | Panama (Panama) | Plinthicus sp. (159350) | |
| Aquitanian | Colombia (La Guajira) | Mobula sp. (182218) | |
| Early/Lower Miocene | USA (North Carolina) | Manta melanyae, Rhinoptera daviesi (71660) | |
| Early/Lower Miocene | Venezuela (Paraguana) | Mobula sp., Plinthicus stenodon (118106) | |
| Early/Lower Miocene | India (Orissa) | Narcine sp. (42842) | |
| Aquitanian - Langhian | USA (North Carolina) | Mobula sp., Plinthicus stenodon (48887) | |
| Miocene | USA (Texas) | Plinthicus stenodon (18614) | |
| Burdigalian | USA (New Jersey) | Plinthicus stenodon (18587) | |
| Burdigalian | Pakistan (Balochistan) | Mobula sp. (77783) | |
| Langhian | Mexico (Baja California) | Mobula sp. (52183) | |
| Langhian | USA (Virginia) | Plinthicus stenodon (79793) | |
| Middle Miocene | Japan (Gifu) | Manta sp., Mobula sp. (161445) | |
| Badenian | Poland | Mobula loupianensis (162017) | |
| Serravallian | USA (Virginia) | Mobula sp. (187324) Plinthicus stenodon, Paramobula fragilis (126605) | |
| Serravallian - Tortonian | Ecuador | Mobula sp. (204346) | |
| Tortonian | Panama | Mobula munkiana (118105) Mobula munkiana, Mobula hypostoma (96700) | |
| Tortonian | Panama (Colon) | Mobula hypostoma, Mobula munkiana (160567) | |
| Tortonian | Belgium | Mobula sp. (217346) | |
| Late/Upper Miocene | Panama (Panama) | Mobula spp. (191988 191989) Mobula thurstoni, Mobula tarapacana, Mobula spp. (191987 191998) | |
| Late/Upper Miocene | Costa Rica (Limon) | Manta sp., Mobula hypostoma, Mobula lorenzoizanoi (162678) | |
| Tortonian - Zanclean | Ecuador | Mobula sp. (204352) | |
| MN 13 | Portugal (Alvalade) | Mobula sp. (65955) | |
| Zanclean | USA (North Carolina) | Manta sp., Mobula sp. (52582) |