Despite being crucial to the conservation of batoids (skates and rays), assessments of fine-scale movements and habitat use of these taxa are lacking in the scientific literature. Here we used active acoustic telemetry to characterize habitat use and movement behavior of the stateprotected whitespotted eagle ray Aetobatus narinari in the Indian River Lagoon, Florida, USA. Seven mature individuals (6 males and 1 female) were individually tracked for a total of 119.6 h. Brownian bridge movement models of ray distribution showed the importance of habitats with high anthropogenic activity (i.e. boat traffic) such as inlets and channels, as well as clam aquaculture lease sites close to shore. This was supported by the significantly lower rates of movement in these habitats relative to other regions (offshore, open lagoon). Rate of movement significantly increased with temperature, suggesting that rays are more active during warmer periods. No tidal patterns in ray habitat use or distribution were evident. On average, rays used the deeper portions of the lagoon during the day and shallower portions during the night. While more extensive tracking is required to elucidate long-term movement patterns, this study is the first to characterize fine-scale habitat use by the whitespotted eagle ray in Florida while also identifying areas of potential interactions between this species and multiple anthropogenic threats.

中文翻译：

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印度河泻湖白斑鹰鳐Aetobatus narinari的精细运动和栖息地利用

尽管对蝙蝠类动物（鳐鱼和鳐鱼）的保护至关重要，但科学文献中缺乏对这些类群的精细运动和栖息地利用的评估。在这里，我们使用主动声学遥测来表征美国佛罗里达州印第安河泻湖中受国家保护的白斑鹰鳐 Aetobatus narinari 的栖息地使用和运动行为。七个成熟个体（6 男 1 女）被单独跟踪，总共 119.6 小时。射线分布的布朗桥运动模型显示了具有高人为活动（即船只交通）的栖息地的重要性，例如入口和渠道，以及靠近海岸的蛤蜊养殖租赁点。与其他地区（近海、开放泻湖）相比，这些栖息地的移动速度显着降低，支持了这一点。运动速度随着温度的升高而显着增加，这表明射线在温暖时期更加活跃。在射线栖息地使用或分布方面没有明显的潮汐模式。平均而言，光线在白天使用泻湖的较深部分，而在夜间使用较浅的部分。虽然需要更广泛的跟踪来阐明长期的运动模式，但这项研究首次描述了佛罗里达州白斑鹰鳐对细尺度栖息地的利用，同时还确定了该物种与多种人为威胁之间潜在相互作用的区域。光线在白天使用泻湖的较深部分，在夜间使用较浅的部分。虽然需要更广泛的跟踪来阐明长期的运动模式，但这项研究首次描述了佛罗里达州白斑鹰鳐对细尺度栖息地的利用，同时还确定了该物种与多种人为威胁之间潜在相互作用的区域。光线在白天使用泻湖的较深部分，在夜间使用较浅的部分。虽然需要更广泛的跟踪来阐明长期的运动模式，但这项研究首次描述了佛罗里达州白斑鹰鳐对细尺度栖息地的利用，同时还确定了该物种与多种人为威胁之间潜在相互作用的区域。