Finally a field guide to manta and devil rays

Together with Daniel Fernando, Marc Dando and Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara, Stevens has now written a 144-page field guide that opens the world of this family of rays to scientists, divers and ocean lovers alike. ‘The guide has been in development for a long time, its publication slowed by the recent taxonomic revisions of the family. We hope that it will help to reduce the instances of species misidentification in the published literature, which unfortunately still occur with regularity,’ he says.

More than 200 colour photos, drawings and plates illustrate the book. It is a comprehensive resource, covering the identification, characteristics, threats to and distribution of each species, as well as general information on the taxonomy, biology and behaviour of rays in general.

‘The idea for the guide first came about in 2009 when I began visiting fish markets in Sri Lanka,’ recalls Stevens. ‘At these markets there were several species of mobulids that I was unable to identify accurately and when I searched through the literature I found that the existing keys to their identification were outdated and often not very helpful.’ He adds, ‘I hope that the content of this field guide will be informative and engaging for both scientists and members of the general public.’