Manta birostris

from WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006)

Manta birostris
    n 1: largest manta (to 22 feet across wings); found worldwide
         but common in Gulf of Mexico and along southern coasts of
         United States; primarily oceanic [syn: {Atlantic manta},
         {Manta birostris}]

from The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

Devilfish \Dev"il*fish`\, n. (Zool.)
   (a) A huge ray ({Manta birostris} or {Cephaloptera vampyrus})
       of the Gulf of Mexico and Southern Atlantic coasts.
       Several other related species take the same name. See
       {Cephaloptera}.
   (b) A large cephalopod, especially the very large species of
       {Octopus} and {Architeuthis}. See {Octopus}.
   (c) The gray whale of the Pacific coast. See {Gray whale}.
   (d) The goosefish or angler ({Lophius}), and other allied
       fishes. See {Angler}.
       [1913 Webster]

from The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

Cephaloptera \Ceph`a*lop"te*ra\
   (s[e^]f`[.a]*l[o^]p"t[-e]*r[.a]), n. [NL., fr. Gr. kefalh`
   head + ptero`n wing.] (Zool.)
   One of the generic names of the gigantic ray ({Manta
   birostris}) of the family {Mobulidae}, known as {devilfish},
   {sea devil}, {manta} and {manta ray}. It is common on the
   coasts of South Carolina, Florida, and farther south, and is
   sometimes found as far north as New York Bay. Some of them
   grow to enormous size, becoming twenty feet of more across
   the body, and weighing more than a ton.
   [1913 Webster]