First record of living Manta alfredi × Manta birostris hybrid
Published on 27. September 2013
First record of living Manta alfredi × Manta birostris hybrid
R P Walter, S T Kessel, N Alhasan, A T Fisk, D D Heath, T Chekchak, R Klaus, M Younis, G Hill, B Jones, C D Braun, M L Berumen, J D Dibattista, M A Priest, N E Hussey
Following a recent taxonomic revision, two manta species (Manta alfredi and Manta birostris) have been advocated based on meristic and morphological characteristics (Marshall et al. 2009). Subsequent genetic analyses of the two species using mitochondrial and nuclear markers confirmed two distinguishable genetic groups (Kashiwagi et al. 2012). Using the above taxonomic and genetic criteria, we provide evidence for the first record of a living Manta alfredi × Manta birostris hybrid. The Manta individual (Fig. 1a, b) was non-lethally sampled from a known manta aggregation site in Dunganab Bay, Sudan, Red Sea, in October 2012.
Mar Biodiv. DOI 10.1007/s12526-013-0183-2