First records of the ornate eagle ray Aetomylaeus vespertilio from the Inhambane Province, Mozambique

Abstract

We report two separate sightings of the ornate eagle ray Aetomylaeus vespertilio (Bleeker, 1852) in the Bazaruto Seascape of southern Mozambique. In May 2021, a single individual was encountered at a depth of 30 m during an in-water survey in the Bazaruto Archipelago National Park. Another solitary individual was documented ~55 km away during an aerial survey in the Vilanculos Coastal Wildlife Sanctuary three days later. These represent the first documented sightings of A. vespertilio in the Inhambane Province of Mozambique, confirming the presence of the species in the region and extending the known range northward along the south-east African coastline. Given the rarity of reported sightings, additional records are particularly valuable for these threatened and elusive rays in order to expand current knowledge of their distribution and range.