1. The ornate eagle ray Aetomylaeus vespertilio (Bleeker, 1852) is a rare and Endangered species of eagle ray, with a patchy distribution across the Indo‐West Pacific region, for which data are scarce.
2. Citizen science‐sourced data from online social media platforms were used to shed light on the distribution and ecology of the ornate eagle ray.
3. A total of 53 reports of A. vespertilio were found on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube, including four reports of dead specimens. All live reports occurred in shallow reef or lagoon ecosystems. Two individual A. vespertilio specimens were re‐sighted in the same general area following initial identification within 9 and 13 months at Ningaloo Reef and at Lady Elliot Island, Australia, respectively, as confirmed through their dorsal spot patterns. One report was at Richard's Bay in South Africa, the southernmost known location for this species in the Indian Ocean (28°S). Live reports were also reported from the Maldives, the Seychelles, Egypt (Red Sea), Philippines, Palau, and elsewhere on the Great Barrier Reef, Australia.
4. Results indicate that citizen‐collected data can shed light on the occurrence and distribution of cryptic species, as well as complement monitoring programmes.

中文翻译：

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公民科学为神秘的华丽鹰射线Aetomylaeus vespertilio开辟了亮光

1. 华丽的鹰Aetomylaeus vespertilio（Bleeker，1852）是一种稀有且濒临灭绝的鹰ray，分布在印度洋-西太平洋地区的斑片状分布，因此缺乏相关数据。
2. 来自在线社交媒体平台的公民科学数据被用来阐明华丽鹰射线的分布和生态。
3. 在Facebook，Instagram，Twitter和YouTube上总共发现了53例关于紫薇的报道，其中包括四例死亡标本的报道。所有现场报道都发生在浅礁或泻湖生态系统中。分别在Ningaloo礁和澳大利亚艾略特夫人岛上分别进行了9个月和13个月的初步鉴定后，在同一大片区域对两个单独的A. vespertilio标本进行了重新观察，这通过它们的背侧斑点模式得以确认。一份报告是在南非的理查德湾（Richard's Bay），该物种在印度洋（28°S）最著名。马尔代夫，塞舌尔，埃及（红海），菲律宾，帕劳以及澳大利亚大堡礁的其他地方也有现场报道。
4. 结果表明，公民收集的数据可以阐明隐性物种的发生和分布以及补充监测计划。