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]