Observations on shoals of the Javanese Cownose Ray Rhinoptera javanica Muller & Henle from the Gulf of Mannar, with additional notes on the species

Abstract

Four species of'Rhinoptera were recorded from Indian waters (Misra, 1951) of which R. javanica appears to be the common species in the Gulf of Mannar. The natural distribution of this species from India, Ceylon, Malay Peninsula, Siam, China and Malay Archipelago (Misra, 1947) has been extended by definite records to western Indian Ocean (South Africa) by Smith (1961). In this context it may be mentioned that R. javanica has been reported from east Atlantic as well (Fowler, 1946), but as pointed out by Bigelow and Schroeder (1953) comparisons of Atlantic and Indian Ocean material is lacking and in the absence of which, with our present knowledge, "it will be desirable to consider the range of distribution of the species as Indian Ocean and western Pacific.