Myliobatidae Bonaparte, 1835

White, William T. & Naylor, Gavin J. P., 2016, Resurrection of the family Aetobatidae (Myliobatiformes) for the pelagic eagle rays, genus Aetobatus, Zootaxa 4139 (3), pp. 435-438 : 437

Family Myliobatidae Bonaparte, 1835

Type genus. Myliobatis Geoffroy St. Hilaire, 1817 (inferred from the stem, Article 11.7.1.1).

Definition. Medium to very large rays (adults reaching at least 3 m in width) with a rhomboidal, ‘wing-like’ disc; trunk broad, depressed and thick. Head narrow, elevated above the disc, protruding forward anteriorly; anteriormost part of pectoral fins joining head below level of eyes; eyes lateral on head; spiracles lateral on head, openings not visible in dorsal view. Mouth ventral, broad; internasal flap straight or slightly undulated, not notched. Teeth in 6–10 (usually 7) rows in each jaw, middle row always broadest; upper and lower tooth plates similar in shape. Pectoral fins broad, with narrow angular apices and free rear tips angular, somewhat pointed. A single, small dorsal fin; posterior margin of dorsal fin joined to surface of tail (no free rear tip), its origin either well in front of ( Aetomylaeus ) or behind ( Myliobatis ) pelvicfin free rear tips. Tail long, whip-like, narrow-based, much longer than disc; caudal stings present in most species (absent in most members of the genus Aetomylaeus ). Rostral part of pectoral fins with (genus Myliobatis ) or without (genus Aetomylaeus ) subocular ridges connecting them to pectoral disc (pectoral radials joining cephalic lobe or interrupted from separate cephalic lobe). Lateral margin of postorbital process of chondrocranium not forming a bar-like projection. Hyomandibular Accessory Cartilage 1 (HAC-1) present near distal end of the hyomandibular cartilage. Puboischiadic bar of pelvic girdle weakly to moderately arched and robust. Pectoral-fin radials (excluding rostral cartilages) 79–92.

Species. Aetomylaeus asperrimus (Gilbert in Jordan & Evermann, 1898); A. bovinus (Geoffrey St-Hilaire, 1817) ; A. caeruleofasciatus White, Last & Baje, 2015 ; A. maculatus ( Gray, 1834) ; A. milvus ( Müller & Henle, 1841) ; A. nichofii ( Bloch & Schneider, 1801) ; A. vespertilio ( Bleeker, 1852) ; Myliobatis aquila ( Linnaeus, 1758) ; M. californicus Gill, 1865 ; M. chilensis Philippi, 1892 ; M. freminvillei Lesueur, 1824 ; M. goodei Garman, 1885 ; M. hamlyni Ogilby, 1911 ; M. longirostris Applegate & Fitch, 1964 ; M. peruvianus Garman, 1913 ; M. ridens Ruocco, Lucifora et al. 2012 ; M. tenuicaudatus Hector, 1877 ; M. tobijei Bleeker, 1854 .