Potamotrygon

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Potamotrygon
Potamotrygon motoro
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Chondrichthyes
Subclass: Elasmobranchii
Superorder: Batoidea
Order: Myliobatiformes
Family: Potamotrygonidae
Genus: Potamotrygon
Garman, 1877
Type species
Trygon hystrix
J. P. Müller & Henle, 1841

Potamotrygon is a genus of freshwater stingrays in the family Potamotrygonidae native to the rivers of South America,[1] and sometimes seen in the aquarium trade.[2]

Like other stingrays, the fishes of this genus have venomous barbs at the base of their tails, and their stings are dangerous to humans.[2] It is said that the natives of South America fear the stingray more than they do fear the piranha.[3]

Potamotrygon vary considerably in color, pattern and size, with the maximum disc width ranging from 31 cm (1 ft) in P. wallacei to 1.5 m (5 ft) in P. brachyura.[4][5]

In the aquarium

Though freshwater stingray of other genera do appear in the trade, most are from Potamotrygon. They are best kept with a deep, sandy

carnivorous bottom feeders and require strong filtration as they are rather sensitive to water conditions.[2] Many species of stingray have been bred in captivity and males can be determined by the presence of claspers as in other Chondrichthyans
.

Species

There are currently more than 30 recognized extant (living) species in this genus:[1]

Extinct (fossil) species

Three species are extinct and only known from Tertiary fossil remains:[14]

References

  1. ^ a b Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2019). Species of Potamotrygon in FishBase. September 2019 version.
  2. ^ .
  3. .
  4. ^ a b Carvalho, M.R.d., Rosa, R.S. & Araújo, M.L.G. (2016): A new species of Neotropical freshwater stingray (Chondrichthyes: Potamotrygonidae) from the Rio Negro, Amazonas, Brazil: the smallest species of Potamotrygon. Zootaxa, 4107 (4): 566-586.
  5. ^ Oddone, M.C., G. Velasco & G. Rincon (2008). Occurrence of freshwater stingrays (Chondrichthyes: Potamotrygonidae) in the Uruguay River and its tributaries, Uruguay, South America. International Journal of Ichthyology 14 (2): 69-76.
  6. ^ a b c Fontenelle, J. P. & de Carvalho, M. R. (2017): Systematic revision of the "Potamotrygon scobina" Garman, 1913 species-complex (Chondrichthyes: Myliobatiformes: Potamotrygonidae), with the description of three new freshwater stingray species from Brazil and comments on their distribution and biogeography. Zootaxa, 4310 (1): 1–63.
  7. ^ a b Carvalho, M.R.d. (2016): Description of two extraordinary new species of freshwater stingrays of the genus Potamotrygon endemic to the rio Tapajós basin, Brazil (Chondrichthyes: Potamotrygonidae), with notes on other Tapajós stingrays. Zootaxa, 4167 (1): 1–63.
  8. ^ a b Loboda, T.S. & Carvalho, M.R.d. (2013): Systematic revision of the Potamotrygon motoro (Müller & Henle, 1841) species complex in the Paraná-Paraguay basin, with description of two new ocellated species (Chondrichthyes: Myliobatiformes: Potamotrygonidae). Archived 2013-12-26 at the Wayback Machine Neotropical Ichthyology, 11 (4): 693–737.
  9. ^ Rosa, R.S., Carvalho, M.R.d. & Wanderley, C.d.A. (2008): Potamotrygon boesemani (Chondrichthyes: Myliobatiformes: Potamotrygonidae), a new species of Neotropical freshwater stingray from Surinam. Neotropical Ichthyology, 6 (1): 1–8.
  10. ^ Fontenelle, J.P., Silva, J.P.C.B.d. & Carvalho, M.R.d. (2014): Potamotrygon limai, sp. nov., a new species of freshwater stingray from the upper Madeira River system, Amazon basin (Chondrichthyes: Potamotrygonidae). Zootaxa, 3765 (3): 249–268.
  11. .
  12. ^ Carvalho, M.R.d. (2016): Potamotrygon rex, a new species of Neotropical freshwater stingray (Chondrichthyes: Potamotrygonidae) from the middle and upper rio Tocantins, Brazil, closely allied to Potamotrygon henlei (Castelnau, 1855). Zootaxa, 4150 (5): 537–565.
  13. ^ Carvalho, M.R.d., Sabaj Pérez, M.H. & Lovejoy, N.R. (2011): Potamotrygon tigrina, a new species of freshwater stingray from the upper Amazon basin, closely related to Potamotrygon schroederi Fernandez-Yépez, 1958 (Chondrichthyes: Potamotrygonidae). Zootaxa, 2827: 1–30.