Mobula japanica, Spinetail mobula : fisheries

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Mobula japanica (Müller & Henle, 1841)

Spinetail mobula
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Mobula japanica   AquaMaps   Data sources: GBIF OBIS
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Image of Mobula japanica (Spinetail mobula)
Mobula japanica
Picture by Khan, M.M.

Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Elasmobranchii (sharks and rays) > Myliobatiformes (Stingrays) > Mobulidae (Devilrays)
Etymology: japanica: Named for Japan..
More on authors: Müller & Henle.

Issue
This species is considered as a junior synonym of Mobula mobular according to Last et al., 2016 (Ref. 114953) and White et al., 2017 (Ref. 115945:13). The species page will be removed,.

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Marine; reef-associated; depth range 0 - 647 m (Ref. 106604), usually 0 - 200 m (Ref. 89423). Subtropical; 40°N - 30°S

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

Indo-Pacific: off South Africa, the Arabian Sea eastward to the Hawaiian Islands and Polynesia. Eastern Pacific: on the continental coast. Eastern Atlantic: Côte d'Ivoire but may probably be more wide-ranging. This has to be critically compared with Mobula mobular of the Mediterranean Sea and nominally elsewhere in the North Atlantic.

Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm 217.8, range 204 - ? cm
Max length : 310 cm WD male/unsexed; (Ref. 50641); 240.0 cm WD (female); common length : 225 cm WD male/unsexed; (Ref. 9256)

Short description Morphology | Morphometrics

Dark blue to black above, white below. Inner surface of cephalic fins silver grey with black tip, outer surface and side behind eye white (Ref. 11228). Shared characters between M. rancureli and Mobula japanica: teeth, placoid scales, and branchial filter morphologies, morphometrics, presence of tail spine, distinctive shape and coloration of dorsal fin, and general shape of body and coloration (Ref. 50641).

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Found inshore, possibly in oceanic waters (Ref. 9911). Pelagic (Ref. 58302). Occurs singly or in groups (Ref. 9911). Feeds mainly on euphausiids (mainly Nictiphanes simplex), and to a lesser extent on copepods and crustacean larvae. May also feed on small fishes. Ovoviviparous (Ref. 50449). Acoustic tracks record the species to spend time above the thermocline at night to feed on krill (H. Dewar, pers.comm. 05/2000). Very common by-catch of the gillnet fisheries targeting skpjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis). Utilized for its gill filter plates (very high value), meat, cartilage and skin (Ref.58048).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Exhibit ovoviparity (aplacental viviparity), with embryos feeding initially on yolk, then receiving additional nourishment from the mother by indirect absorption of uterine fluid enriched with mucus, fat or protein through specialised structures (Ref. 50449). With one in a litter (Ref. 12951). Size at birth 85-92 cm WD (Ref. 12951, Ref.58048).

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Last, P.R. and J.D. Stevens, 1994. Sharks and rays of Australia. CSIRO, Australia. 513 p. (Ref. 6871)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)

  Near Threatened (NT) ; Date assessed: 31 January 2006

CITES


Threat to humans

  Harmless





Human uses

Fisheries: commercial
FAO - Publication: search | FishSource |

More information

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Internet sources

AFORO (otoliths) | Aquatic Commons | BHL | Cloffa | BOLDSystems | Websites from users | Check FishWatcher | CISTI | Catalog of Fishes: genus, species | DiscoverLife | ECOTOX | FAO - Publication: search | Faunafri | Fishipedia | Fishtrace | GenBank: genome, nucleotide | GloBI | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | IGFA World Record | MitoFish | National databases | Otolith Atlas of Taiwan Fishes | PubMed | Reef Life Survey | Socotra Atlas | Tree of Life | Wikipedia: Go, Search | World Records Freshwater Fishing | Zoological Record

Estimates based on models

Preferred temperature (Ref. 123201): 17.5 - 29, mean 27.4 °C (based on 5840 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804):  PD50 = 0.5005   [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.01000 (0.00244 - 0.04107), b=3.04 (2.81 - 3.27), in cm total length, based on all LWR estimates for this body shape (Ref. 93245).
Trophic level (Ref. 69278):  3.4   ±0.43 se; based on food items.
Generation time: 9.2 ( na - na) years. Estimated as median ln(3)/K based on 2 growth studies.
Resilience (Ref. 120179):  Very Low, minimum population doubling time more than 14 years (Fec=1).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153):  High vulnerability (58 of 100).
Price category (Ref. 80766):   Medium.
Nutrients (Ref. 124155):  Calcium = 2.5 [0.3, 39.7] mg/100g; Iron = 0.39 [0.03, 4.65] mg/100g; Protein = 21.4 [16.2, 26.7] %; Omega3 = 0.111 [0.035, 0.336] g/100g; Selenium = 28.3 [5.3, 165.3] μg/100g; VitaminA = 9.7 [0.8, 119.6] μg/100g; Zinc = 0.322 [0.021, 3.683] mg/100g (wet weight);