The Atlantic Devil Ray or Lesser Devil Ray (Mobula hypostoma) is endemic to the western Atlantic, from North Carolina (USA) to northern Argentina, including the Gulf of Mexico. It is primarily pegic in coastal waters, although it occasionally enters oceanic waters, typically traveling in schools. Little is known about the Atlantic Devil Ray, despite the wide range this species occupies.

Mobula are slow-growing, migratory, planktivorous animals with small, highly fragmented populations that are sparsely distributed across the tropical and temperate oceans of the world. Their biological and behavioural characteristics (low reproductive rates, late maturity and aggregating behaviour) make these species particularly vulnerable to over-exploitation in fisheries and extremely slow to recover from depletion.

Mobula rays are caught in commercial and artisanal fisheries throughout their global warm water range in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Directed fisheries primarily utilize harpoons and nets, while significant bycatch occurs in purse seine, gill and trawl net fisheries targeting other species, including on the high seas. A recent surge in demand for mobula ray products (gill plates) in China and reports of increased direct fishing effort in key range states suggests an urgent and escalating threat to these species.

Mobula can be viewed as indicator species for the overall health of the ecosystem. Studies have suggested that removing large, filter-feeding organisms from marine environments can result in significant, cascading species composition changes.