Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Cephaloptera
‖
Cephˊa-lop′te-ra
(sĕfˊȧ-lŏp′tē̍-rȧ)
, Noun.
[NL., fr. Gr.
κεφαλή
head + πτερόν
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.