The geographic distribution of reef and oceanic manta rays (Mobula alfredi and Mobula birostris) in Australian coastal waters

The known distribution of manta rays in Australian waters is patchy, with records primarily centred around tourism hotspots. We collated 11,614 records of M. alfredi from photo-ID databases (n= 10,715), aerial surveys (n= 378) and online reports (n= 521). The study confirms an uninterrupted coastal distribution from north of 26°S and 31°S on the west and east coasts respectively. More southerly M. alfredi records relate to warm-water events with a southernmost extent at 34°S. Coastal sightings of M. birostris were rare (n= 32), likely reflecting a preference for offshore waters, but encompass a wider latitudinal extent than M. alfredi of 10-40°S. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.