Since 2011, The Manta Trust has been actively conducting, collaborating on, and contributing to research focused on manta and devil rays. Over the years, our research endeavours have significantly expanded, reflecting our ongoing commitment to advancing knowledge in this field.
Our researchers, lead authors, and contributors have played pivotal roles in over 100 publications, collectively garnering a readership exceeding 100,000. Beyond our academic achievements, our work has been featured more than 225 times in global news and media outlets, including National Geographic Magazine, the Guardian, Forbes, BBC, and more.
Published across 35 different journals, such as Nature, Frontiers in Marine Science, PeerJ and Springer, our publications offer a diverse and influential perspective. Delve into these scientific insights to join us in our mission, to ensure the sustainable future of manta and devil rays through informed conservation practices.
Click the links below to browse our publications archive.
2024
The illegal exploitation of threatened manta and devil rays in the Chagos Archipelago, one of the world’s largest no-take MPAs
March 2024
Joanna L. Harris & Guy M. W. Stevens
Bycatch mitigation from the sky: using helicopter communication for Mobulid conservation in tropical tuna fisheries
March 2024
Jennifer L. Waldo, Ernesto Altamirano-Nieto, Donald Croll, Marta D. Palacios, Nerea Lezama-Ochoa, Jon Lopez, Gala Moreno, Stefany Rojas-Perea & Melissa R. Cronin
Remote hideaways: first insights into the population sizes, habitat use and residency of manta rays at aggregation areas in Seychelles
February 2024
Lauren R. Peel, Mark G. Meekan, Ryan Daly, Clare A. Keating, Shaun P. Collin, Josep Nogués & Guy M. W. Stevens
First records of the sicklefin (Mobula tarapacana), bentfin (Mobula thurstoni), and spinetail (Mobula mobular) devil rays in the Chagos Archipelago
February 2024
Joanna L. Harris, Claire Collins, Mark Spalding & Guy M. W. Stevens
Spatiotemporal variations in reef manta ray (Mobula alfredi) residency at a remote meso-scale habitat and its importance in future spatial planning
February 2024
Joanna L. Harris, Phil Hosegood, Clare B. Embling, Benjamin J. Williamson & Guy M. W. Stevens
Rays in the Shadows: Batoid Diversity, Occurrence, and Conservation Status in Fiji
January 2024
Kerstin Glaus, Luke Gordon, Tom Vierus, Natasha D. Marosi and Helen Sykes
2023
Comparative population genomics of manta rays has global implications for management
November 2023
Emily Humble, Jane Hosegood, Gary Carvalho, Mark de Bruyn, Simon Creer, Guy M. W. Stevens, Amelia Armstrong, Ramon Bonfil, Mark Deakos, Daniel Fernando, Niv Froman, Lauren R. Peel + 5 authors
Reproductive behavior, seasonality, and distribution of three devil ray species (Mobula mobular, M. thurstoni, and M. munkiana) in the Southern Gulf of California, Mexico
November 2023
Marta D. Palacios, Abel Trejo-Ramírez, Sidharta Velázquez-Hernández, Scarlett A. K. Huesca-Mayorga, Joshua D. Stewart, Melissa R. Cronin, Nerea Lezama-Ochoa, Kelly M. Zilliacus, Rogelio + 3 authors
Population structure of endangered spinetail devil ray (Mobula mobular) in the Lesser Sunda Seascape, Indonesia, revealed using microsatellite and mitochondrial DNA
November 2023
Muhammad Danie Al Malik + 14 authors
Insight into manta ray behaviour using animal-borne Crittercams
October 2023
Nicole A. Pelletier, Anna M. Knochel, Joshua D. Stewart, Niv Froman, Taylor R. Smith, Greg Marshal, Kyler Abernathy, Julie Hawkins & Guy M.W. Stevens
Intraspecific differences in short- and long-term foraging strategies of reef manta ray (Mobula alfredi) in the Chagos Archipelago
September 2023
Joanna L. Harris, Clare B. Embling, Genevieve Alexander, David Curnick, Ronan Roche, Niv Froman, Marleen Stuhr, Elaine S. Fileman, Simon Hilbourne, Rebecca Carter, Annie Murray + 2 authors
Occupancy of acoustically tagged oceanic manta rays, Mobula birostris, in Bahia de Banderas, Mexico
September 2023
P. Santiago Domínguez-Sánchez, Ana Širović, Iliana A. Fonseca-Ponce, Aldo A. Zavala-Jiménez, Robert D. Rubin, Katherine R. Kumli, James T. Ketchum, Felipe Galván-Magaña + 2 authors
Genomic evidence indicates small island-resident populations and sex-biased behaviors of Hawaiian reef Manta Rays
July 2023
Jonathan L. Whitney, Richard R. Coleman & Mark H. Deakos
Spatial Ecology of the Population of Reef Manta Rays, Mobula alfredi (Krefft, 1868), in New Caledonia Using Satellite Telemetry 1–Horizontal Behaviour
June 2023
Hugo Lassauce, Olivier Chateau & Laurent Wantiez
Use of underwater contactless ultrasonography to elucidate the internal anatomy and reproductive activity of manta and devil rays (Fam. Mobulidae)
May 2023
Niv Froman, Marie-Aude Genain, Guy M. W. Stevens & Gareth P. Pearce
Manta and devil ray aggregations: conservation challenges and developments in the field
April 2023
Marta D. Palacios, Joshua D. Stewart, Donald A. Croll, Melissa R. Cronin, Abel Trejo-Ramírez, Guy M. W. Stevens, Nerea Lezama-Ochoa, Kelly M. Zilliacus, Rogelio González−Armas + 2 authors
2022
Distribution of the reef manta ray Mobula alfredi and the oceanic manta ray Mobula birostris in the Philippines: A collaborative effort for conservation
December 2022
Joshua Rambahiniarison +28 authors
The influence of El Niño Southern Oscillation on the population dynamics of oceanic manta rays in the Mexican Pacific
November 2022
Madalena Cabral, Joshua Stewart, Tiago A. Marques, James T Ketchum, Arturo Ayala-Bocos, Edgar Mauricio, Hoyos Padilla & Héctor Reyes-Bonill
Demographics and dynamics of the world’s largest known population of oceanic manta rays Mobula birostris in coastal Ecuador
November 2022
Kanina Harty, Michel Guerrero, Anna M. Knochel, Guy M. W. Stevens, Andrea Marshall, Katherine Burgess & Joshua D. Stewart
Policy and transparency gaps for oceanic shark and rays in high seas tuna fisheries
October 2022
Melissa R. Cronin, Julia E. Amaral, Alexis M. Jackson, Jennifer Jacquet, Katherine L. Seto & Donald A. Croll
Exploring the genetic diversity and population structure of Mobula birostris in two key aggregation zones in the Eastern Tropical Pacific
October 2022
Karla E. Rojas López, Juan José Guadalupe, Milton Gordillo-Romero, Andrea Montero-Oleas, Diana A. Pazmiño, Michel Guerrero & Maria de Lourdes Torres
Crowdsourced data reveal multinational connectivity, population demographics, and possible nursery ground of endangered oceanic manta rays in the Red Sea
September 2022
Anna M. Knochel, Jesse E. M. Cochran, Alexander Kattan, Guy M. W. Stevens, Elke Bojanowksi & Michael L. Berumen
First photographic evidence of oceanic manta rays (Mobula birostris) at two locations in the Fiji islands
September 2022
Luke Gordon & Tom Vierus
Diving into the vertical dimension of elasmobranch movement ecology
August 2022
Samantha Andrzejaczek +170 authors
Harnessing stakeholder knowledge for the collaborative development of Mobulid bycatch mitigation strategies in tuna fisheries
June 2022
Melissa R Cronin, Donald A Croll, Martin A Hall, Nerea Lezama-Ochoa, Jon Lopez, Hilario Murua, Jefferson Murua, Victor Restrepo, Stefany Rojas-Perea, Joshua D Stewart + 2 authors
Manta and devil ray species occurrence and distribution in Venezuela, assessed through fishery landings and citizen science data
May 2022
Nicolás Ehemann, Edilia Acosta-Rodríguez, Alejandro Tagliafico, Nicole Pelletier & Guy Stevens
The distribution of manta rays in the western North Atlantic Ocean off the eastern United States
April 2022
Nicholas A. Farmer +17 authors
Sublethal Injuries and Physical Abnormalities in Maldives Manta Rays, Mobula alfredi and Mobula birostris
March 2022
Elspeth M. Strike, Joanna L. Harris, Kirsty L. Ballard, Julie P. Hawkins, Jennifer Crockett & Guy M. W. Stevens
Evidence of fine-scale genetic structure for reef manta rays Mobula alfredi in New Caledonia
March 2022
Hugo Lassauce, Christine L. Dudgeon, Amelia J. Armstrong, Laurent Wantiez & Emma L. Carroll
2021
High bycatch rates of manta and devil rays in the “small-scale” artisanal fisheries of Sri Lanka
September 2021
Daniel Fernando & Joshua D. Stewart
Reef manta rays forage on tidally driven, high density patches in Hanifaru Bay, Maldives
August 2021
Asia O. Armstrong, Guy M.W. Stevens, Kathy A. Townsend, Annie Murray, Michael B. Bennett, Amelia J. Armstrong, Julian Uribe-Palomino, Phil Hosegood, Christine L. Dudgeon & Anthony J. Richardson
A hitchhiker guide to manta rays: Patterns of association between Mobula alfredi, M. birostris, their symbionts, and other fishes in the Maldives
July 2021
Aimee E. Nicholson-Jack, Joanna L. Harris, Kirsty Ballard, Katy M. E. Turner & Guy M. W. Stevens
Quantifying the Effects of Diver Interactions on Manta Ray Behavior at Their Aggregation Sites
June 2021
Miguel de Jesús Gómez-García, María del Carmen Blázquez-Moreno, Joshua David Stewart, Vianey Leos-Barajas, Iliana Araceli Fonseca-Ponce, Aldo Alfonso Zavala-Jiménez + 2 authors
Environmental drivers of reef manta ray (Mobula alfredi) visitation patterns to key aggregation habitats in the Maldives
June 2021
Joanna L. Harris & Guy M. W. Stevens
Mutualism promotes site selection in a large marine planktivore
March 2021
Asia O. Armstrong, Amelia J. Armstrong, Michael B. Bennett, Anthony J. Richardson, Kathy A. Townsend, Jason D. Everett, Graeme C. Hays, Hugh Pederson & Christine L. Dudgeon
Fine scale oceanographic drivers of reef manta ray (Mobula alfredi) visitation patterns at a feeding aggregation site
March 2021
Joanna L. Harris, Phil Hosegood, Edward Robinson, Clare B. Embling, Simon Hilbourne & Guy M. W. Stevens
Motivations for compliance in Peruvian manta ray fisheries
February 2021
Lucie Guirkingera, Stefany Rojas-Perea, Isabel Ender, Mark Ramsden, Charley Lenton-Lyons & Jonas Geldmann
Description of first nursery area for a pygmy devil ray species (Mobula munkiana) in the Gulf of California, Mexico
January 2021
Marta D. Palacios, Edgar M. Hoyos-Padilla, Abel Trejo-Ramírez, Donald A. Croll, Felipe Galván-Magaña, Kelly M. Zilliacus, John B. O’Sullivan, James T. Ketchum & Rogelio González-Armas
2020
Spatio-temporal distribution of the spinetail devil ray Mobula mobular in the eastern tropical Atlantic Ocean
December 2020
Nerea Lezama-Ochoa, Jon Lopez, Martin Hall, Pascal Bach, Francisco Abascal & Hilario Murua
Predicting mobulid ray distribution in coastal areas of Lesser Sunda Seascape: Implication for spatial and fisheries management
December 2020
Mochamad Iqbal Herwata Putra, Edy Setyawan, Betty J. L. Laglbauer, Sarah Lewis, Dharmadi Dharmadi, Abraham Sianipar & Isabel Ender
Phylogenomics and species delimitation for effective conservation of manta and devil rays
November 2020
Jane Hosegood +23 authors
A review of a decade of lessons from one of the world’s largest MPAs: conservation gains and key challenges.
October 2020
Graeme C. Hays +49 authors
Satellite Tagging and Photographic Identification Reveal Connectivity Between Two UNESCO World Heritage Areas for Reef Manta RaysOctober 2020
August 2020
Amelia J. Armstrong, Asia O. Armstrong, Frazer McGregor, Anthony J. Richardson, Michael B. Bennett, Kathy A. Townsend, Graeme C. Hays, Mike van Keulen, Jessica Smith & Christine L. Dudgeon
Regional Movements of Reef Manta Rays (Mobula alfredi) in Seychelles Waters
July 2020
Lauren R. Peel, Guy M. W. Stevens, Ryan Daly, Clare A. Keating Daly, Shaun P. Collin, Josep Nogués & Mark G. Meekan
Assessing the impact of regulations on the use and trade of wildlife: An operational framework, with a case study on manta rays
June 2020
Hollie Booth, Simon Pooley, Tom Clements, Mochamad Iqbal Herwata Putra, W. Peni Lestari, Sarah Lewis, Luke Warwick & E.J. Milner-Gullanda
Gone with the wind: Seasonal distribution and habitat use by the reef manta ray (Mobula alfredi) in the Maldives, implications for conservation
May 2020
Joanna L. Harris, Peter K. McGregor, Yvonne Oates & Guy M. W. Stevens
Individual variation in residency and regional movements of reef manta rays Mobula alfredi in a large marine protected area
April 2020
Samantha Andrzejaczek, Taylor K. Chapple, David J. Curnick, Aaron B. Carlisle, Michael Castleton, David M. P. Jacoby, Lauren R. Peel, Robert J. Schallert, David M. Tickler & Barbara A. Block
The giant devil ray Mobula mobular (Bonnaterre, 1788) is not giant, but it is the only spinetail devil ray
April 2020
Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara, Guy Stevens & Daniel Fernando
Immature individuals dominate elasmobranch fisheries of the Bali Strait
March 2020
Sara Tabea Winter, Fahmi, Didik Rudianto, Betty J. L. Laglbauer C, Isabel Ender & Colin A. Simpfendorfer
Diving behavior of the reef manta ray (Mobula alfredi) in New Caledonia: More frequent and deeper night-time diving to 672 meters
March 2020
Hugo Lassauce, Olivier Chateau, Mark V. Erdmann & Laurent Wantiez
The geographic distribution of reef and oceanic manta rays (Mobula alfredi and Mobula birostris) in Australian coastal waters
January 2020
Amelia J. Armstrong, Asia O. Armstrong, Michael B. Bennett, Frazer McGregor, Kátya G. Abrantes, Adam Barnett, Anthony J. Richardson, Kathy A. Townsend & Christine L. Dudgeon
2019
Novel applications of animal-borne Crittercams reveal thermocline feeding in two species of manta ray
December 2019
Joshua D. Stewart, Taylor T. R. Smith, Greg Marshall, Kyler Abernathy, Iliana A. Fonseca-Ponce, Niv Froman & Guy M. W. Stevens
Taxonomic status, biological notes, and conservation of the longhorned pygmy devil ray Mobula eregoodoo (Cantor, 1849)
November 2019
Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara, Sylvain Adnet, Mike Bennett, Matt K. Broadhurst, Daniel Fernando, Rima W. Jabado, Betty J.L. Laglbauer & Guy Stevens
Stable isotope analyses reveal unique trophic role of reef manta rays (Mobula alfredi) at a remote coral reef
September 2019
Lauren R. Peel, Ryan Daly, Clare A. Keating Daly, Guy M. W. Stevens, Shaun P. Collin & Mark G. Meekan
Protecting the million-dollar mantas; creating an evidence-based code of conduct for manta ray tourism interactions
September 2019
Annie Murray, Eleanor Garrud, Isabel Ender, Katie Lee-Brooks, Rebecca Atkins, Rebecca Lynam, Kathryn Arnold, Callum Roberts, Julie Hawkins & Guy Stevens
Preliminary insights into the population characteristics and distribution of reef (Mobula alfredi) and oceanic (M. birostris) manta rays in French Polynesia
September 2019
Alice S. Carpentier, Ce´cile Berthe, Isabel Ender, Fabrice R. A. Jaine, Johann Mourier, Guy Stevens, Moeava De Rosemont & Eric Clua
Environmental characteristics associated with the presence of the Spinetail devil ray (Mobula mobular) in the eastern tropical Pacific
August 2019
Nerea Lezama-Ochoa , Martin A. Hall, Maria Grazia Pennino, Joshua D. Stewart,Jon López & Hilario Murua
Movement and residency patterns of reef manta rays Mobula alfredi in the Amirante Islands, Seychelles
July 2019
Lauren R. Peel, Guy M. W. Stevens, Ryan Daly, Clare A. Keating Daly, James S. E. Lea, Christopher R. Clarke, Shaun P. Collin & Mark G. Meekan
Population dynamics of oceanic manta rays (Mobula birostris) in the Raja Ampat Archipelago, West Papua, Indonesia, and the impacts of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation on their movement ecology
July 2019
Calvin S. Beale, Joshua D. Stewart, Edy Setyawan, Abraham B. Sianipar, Mark V. Erdmann
2018
Phylogenomics and species delimitation of mobulid rays reveals cryptic diversity and a new species of manta ray
October 2018
Jane Hosegood +23 authors
Research Priorities to Support Effective Manta and Devil Ray Conservation
September 2018
Joshua D. Stewart +29 authors
Courtship and mating behaviour of manta rays Mobula alfredi and M. birostris in the Maldives
July 2018
Guy M. W. Stevens, Julie P. Hawkins & Callum M. Roberts
Important juvenile manta ray habitat at Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico
July 2018
Joshua D. Stewart, Marissa Nuttall, Emma L. Hickerson & Michelle A. Johnston
Important juvenile manta ray habitat at Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico
June 2018
Joshua D. Stewart, Alfredo Barroso, Rachel H. Butler & Roger J. Munns
2017
Trophic overlap in mobulid rays: Insights from stable isotope analysis
October 2017
Joshua D. Stewart, Christoph A. Rohner, Gonzalo Araujo, Jose Avila, Daniel Fernando, Kerstin Forsberg, Alessandro Ponzo, Joshua M. Rambahiniarison, Carolyn M. Kurle & Brice X. Semmens
Mobulid rays feed on euphausiids in the Bohol Sea
May 2017
Christoph A. Rohner, Katherine B. Burgess, Joshua M.Rambahiniarison, Joshua D.Stewart, Alessandro Ponzo & Anthony J. Richardson
Sympathy for the devil: a conservation strategy for devil and manta rays
March 2017
Julia M. Lawson, Sonja V. Fordham, Mary P. O’Malley, Lindsay N.K. Davidson, Rachel H.L. Walls, Michelle R. Heupel, Guy Stevens, Daniel Fernando, Ania Budziak, Colin A. Simpfendorfer + 4 authors
2016
Are mantas self aware or simply social? A response to Ari and D’Agostino 2016
October 2016
Joshua D. Stewart, Guy M. W. Stevens, Greg J. Marshall & Kyler Abernathy
Deep-water feeding and behavioral plasticity in Manta birostris revealed by archival tags and submersible observations
October 2016
Joshua D. Stewart, Edgar Mauricio Hoyos-Padilla, Katherine R. Kumli & Robert D. Rubin
Spatial ecology and conservation of Manta birostris in the Indo-Pacific
August 2016
Joshua D.Stewart, Calvin S.Beale, Daniel Fernando, Abraham B.Sianipar, Ronald S.Burton, Brice X. Semmens & Octavio Aburto-Oropeza
Characterization of the trade in manta and devil ray gill plates in China and South-east Asia through trader surveys
June 2016
Mary p. O'Malley, Kathy A. Townsend, Paul Hilton, Shawn Heinrichs & Joshua D. Stewart
2015
Vulnerabilities and fisheries impacts: The uncertain future of manta and devil rays
November 2015
Donald A. Croll +18 authors
A dated molecular phylogeny of manta and devil rays (Mobulidae) based on mitogenome and nuclear sequences
February 2015
Marloes Poortvliet, Jeanine L. Olsen, Donald A. Croll, Giacomo Bernardi, Kelly Newton, Spyros Kollias, John O’Sullivan, Daniel Fernando, Guy Stevens, Felipe Galván Magaña, Bernard Seret + 2 authors
2013
Manta alfredi target multispecies surgeonfish spawning aggregations
March 2013
J. A. Hartup, A. Marshell, G. Stevens, M. Kottermair & P. Carlson
2011
Extent and Economic Value of Manta Ray Watching in Maldives
January 2011
Anderson, R. Charles; Adam, M. Shiham; Kitchen-Wheeler, Anne-Marie & Stevens, Guy