Rank Species | Phylum Chordata Subclass Elasmobranchii | |
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Similar Potamotrygon orbignyi, Short‑tailed river stingray, Plesiotrygon, Porcupine river stingray, Paratrygon aiereba | ||
Falando um pouco sobre arraia potamotrygon falkneri
Potamotrygon falkneri, the largespot river stingray or reticulated freshwater stingray, is a species of freshwater stingray in the family Potamotrygonidae from tropical and subtropical South America. It is sometimes seen in the aquarium trade, but require a very large tank.
Contents
- Falando um pouco sobre arraia potamotrygon falkneri
- Potamotrygon falkneri
- Taxonomy and appearance
- Etymology
- Distribution
- References
Potamotrygon falkneri
Taxonomy and appearance
This species was originally described by ichthyologists Castex and Maciel in 1963.
This species is densely spotted above, but the exact color and pattern are very variable. One of these types was initially described as a separate species P. castexi and another as P. menchacai. Intermediates between the various patterns are common, and all represent variants of the species P. falkneri. It reaches a disc width of up to 52 cm (20 in) and a total length, including tail, up to 89 cm (35 in).
The so-called "tiger stingray" has sometimes been misidentified as P. menchacai (a synonym of P. falkneri), but it is a separate species that only was scientifically described as P. tigrina in 2011.
Etymology
The etymology of the term Potamotrygon derives from the Greek words potamos, which means 'river', and trygon which means 'sting ray'.
Distribution
This species has a disjunct distribution with the best-known population found throughout much of the Paraná—Paraguay River basin in southern Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and northeastern Argentina. The other is in the upper Amazon Basin: Madre de Díos, Guaporé, Beni, Marañón and Solimões Rivers in Bolivia, eastern Peru and western Brazil.