{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,17]],"date-time":"2026-07-17T04:05:18Z","timestamp":1784261118998,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":54,"publisher":"Wiley","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,23]],"date-time":"2026-06-23T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1782172800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":22,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,1]],"date-time":"2026-06-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1780272000000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/doi.wiley.com\/10.1002\/tdm_license_1.1"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["onlinelibrary.wiley.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Ecology and Evolution"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,6]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>ABSTRACT<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>\n                    The distribution and seasonal occurrence of manta and devil rays (mobulids) remain poorly understood across much of the Western Indian Ocean, particularly within remote island systems. Here, we present the first synthesis of species\u2010level mobulid records for the Mascarene Archipelago (La R\u00e9union, Mauritius and Rodrigues) using a combination of direct and passive citizen\u2010science observations collected between 2014 and 2026. A total of 107 sightings were documented from 75 sighting events, comprising\n                    <jats:italic>Mobula birostris<\/jats:italic>\n                    (\n                    <jats:italic>n<\/jats:italic>\n                    \u2009=\u200929),\n                    <jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\">\n                      <jats:italic>M. thurstoni<\/jats:italic>\n                    <\/jats:styled-content>\n                    (\n                    <jats:italic>n<\/jats:italic>\n                    \u2009=\u200940),\n                    <jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\">\n                      <jats:italic>M. alfredi<\/jats:italic>\n                    <\/jats:styled-content>\n                    (\n                    <jats:italic>n<\/jats:italic>\n                    \u2009=\u20095),\n                    <jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\">\n                      <jats:italic>M. tarapacana<\/jats:italic>\n                    <\/jats:styled-content>\n                    (\n                    <jats:italic>n<\/jats:italic>\n                    \u2009=\u20092) and unidentified\n                    <jats:italic>Mobula<\/jats:italic>\n                    spp. (\n                    <jats:italic>n<\/jats:italic>\n                    \u2009=\u200931). One\n                    <jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\">\n                      <jats:italic>M. birostris<\/jats:italic>\n                    <\/jats:styled-content>\n                    was re\u2010sighted almost 4\u2009years after it was first recorded (October 2019 to September 2023). Records were strongly concentrated along the west\u2013south\u2010west coast of La R\u00e9union, accounting for 90% of all sightings, whereas confirmed sightings in Mauritius were fewer, and no records were obtained for Rodrigues. We report the first confirmed records of\n                    <jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\">\n                      <jats:italic>M. birostris<\/jats:italic>\n                    <\/jats:styled-content>\n                    and\n                    <jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\">\n                      <jats:italic>M. tarapacana<\/jats:italic>\n                    <\/jats:styled-content>\n                    in Mauritian and La R\u00e9union waters, respectively. Circular analyses revealed seasonal occurrences for the most frequently recorded species, with peak occurrence during late austral spring to early summer. Courtship behaviour for\n                    <jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\">\n                      <jats:italic>M. thurstoni<\/jats:italic>\n                    <\/jats:styled-content>\n                    is rarely observed globally; thus, these findings demonstrate that the Mascarene Archipelago supports multiple mobulid species and is used for ecologically important activities, suggesting that the region forms part of a broader, seasonally structured habitat network associated with the Mascarene Plateau. In the context of the recent transfer of all mobulids to CITES Appendix I and ongoing regional fisheries interactions, this baseline highlights the value of citizen\u2010science data for identifying mobulid presence in data\u2010poor regions and provides a foundation for targeted monitoring and conservation planning in the Western Indian Ocean.\n                  <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1002\/ece3.73815","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,23]],"date-time":"2026-06-23T12:25:16Z","timestamp":1782217516000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["The Mascarene Archipelago, a Data\u2010Poor Region for Mobulid Rays: First Records, Seasonal Patterns and Conservation Implications"],"prefix":"10.1002","volume":"16","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8684-9096","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Joanna L.","family":"Harris","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"The Manta Trust  Dorset UK"},{"name":"School of Biological and Marine Sciences University of Plymouth  Plymouth UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Estelle","family":"Crochelet","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Agence de Recherche Pour la Biodiversit\u00e9 \u00e0 La R\u00e9union, Biodiversity Research Agency of Reunion Island, Mascarene Archipelago Elasmobranch Observatory  La R\u00e9union France"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Prashant","family":"Mohesh","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The National Geographic Society (Mauritius)  Washington DC USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Guy M. W.","family":"Stevens","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The Manta Trust  Dorset UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"311","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,23]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_2_10_2_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/s41200\u2010019\u20100173\u20106"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_3_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.7717\/peerj.11992"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_4_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s00227\u2010024\u201004564\u20106"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_5_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/s41200\u2010021\u201000214\u20108"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_6_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/j.2517\u20106161.1995.tb02031.x"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_7_1","first-page":"98","article-title":"Coastal and Marine Biodiversity of La R\u00e9union","volume":"34","author":"Bourmaud C. A. 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