Cephaloptera

1 definition found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  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]