Paratrygon aiereba

Paratrygon aiereba
Paratrygon aiereba from above and below. Notice its concave snout, visible lower left on upper photo and to the right on lower photo
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Chondrichthyes
Subclass: Elasmobranchii
Order: Myliobatiformes
Family: Potamotrygonidae
Genus: Paratrygon
Species:
P. aiereba
Binomial name
Paratrygon aiereba

Paratrygon aiereba also known as discus ray, manzana ray[1] or ceja ray is a river stingray from the Amazon basin in South America.[2]

Appearance

This freshwater ray has small eyes and a disc shaped roughly like a lily pad (the snout is slightly concave).[3] It is brownish above with a dark vermiculated or reticulated pattern.[3]

It reaches up to 1.6 m (5.2 ft) in disc width and 110 kg (240 lb) in weight, making it one of the largest species in the family.[3] There are unconfirmed claims of much larger individuals, but these are considered highly questionable.[4] Most individuals do not surpass a disc width of 1.3 m (4.3 ft).[3] Males reach maturity at a disc width of about 60 cm (2.0 ft) and females at about 72 cm (2.4 ft).

Behavior

It mainly feeds on fish,[5] but also take invertebrates such as insects and crustaceans,[3] and it is a top predator in its habitat.[6] Adults are found in relatively deep waters in main river channels, but move to shallower waters to feed at night. After a nine-month gestation, the female give birth to an average of two young with a disc width of about 16 cm (6.3 in). Juveniles are found in relatively shallow waters at sandy beaches and in creeks.[3]

References

  1. ^ a b Góes de Araújo, M.L. & Rincón, G. (2018) [amended version of 2009 assessment]. "Paratrygon aiereba". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T161588A124329685. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2009-2.RLTS.T161588A124329685.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. ^ Loboda TS, Lasso CA, Rosa RS, Carvalho MR (11 June 2021). "Two new species of freshwater stingrays of the genus Paratrygon (Chondrichthyes: Potamotrygonidae) from the Orinoco basin, with comments on the taxonomy of Paratrygon aiereba". Neotropical Ichthyology. 19 (2). doi:10.1590/1982-0224-2020-0083. S2CID 236301627.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Last; White; de Carvalho; Séret; Stehmann; Naylor, eds. (2016). Rays of the World. CSIRO. p. 626. ISBN 9780643109148.
  4. ^ "Paratrygon aiereba". fishing-worldrecords.com. Retrieved 25 October 2017.
  5. ^ Reynolds; Hornbrook; Stettner; Terrell (2017). "Husbandry of freshwater stingrays". In Smith; Warmolts; Thoney; Hueter; Murray; Ezcurra (eds.). Elasmobranch Husbandry Manual II. Special Publication of the Ohio Biological Survey. pp. 99–112. ISBN 978-0-86727-166-9.
  6. ^ Rosa, R.S.; Charvet-Almeida, P.; Quijada, C.C.D. (2010). "Biology of the South American Potamotrygonid Stingrays". In Carrier, J.C.; Musick, J.A.; Heithaus, M.R. (eds.). Sharks and Their Relatives II: Biodiversity, Adaptive Physiology, and Conservation. Marine Biology. Vol. 20100521. CRC Press. pp. 241–285. doi:10.1201/9781420080483-c5 (inactive 2024-11-11). ISBN 978-1-4200-8047-6.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of November 2024 (link)