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Short-tailed River Stingray
Potamotrygon brachyura
The short-tailed river stingray (Potamotrygon brachyura) is a species of river stingray (family Potamotrygonidae) native to the Río de la Plata Basin in South America. It is sometimes known as the giant freshwater stingray, but this name is typically used for Urogymnus polylepis.
Growing to a disc diameter of about 1.9 m (6.2 ft) and a weight of 220 kg (485 lb 0 oz), with unconfirmed records of even larger specimens, the short-tailed river stingray is the largest freshwater species in its family and one of the heaviest strict freshwater fish in South America, only matched by the arapaima (Arapaima) and piraíba catfish (Brachyplatystoma filamentosum). The primary threat to the short-tailed river stingray is fishing for food and as a game fish (if not released), but it is also under pressure from habitat loss and occasionally caught for aquaria.
From the article Short-tailed river stingray on Wikipedia (CC BY-SA), quoted section by section
Description
The short-tailed river stingray is circular in shape and humped in the back. The species can reach about 1.9 m (6 ft 3 in) in disc diameter and 220 kilograms (490 lb) in weight, making it the largest freshwater species in the family Potamotrygonidae. They have a dark pattern on their backs, probably used as camouflage. The ray's tail is very muscular and thick, covered with short spines at the base and a venomous sting at the end.
Range & habitat
The short-tailed river stingray is found in the Río de la Plata Basin, including the Paraguay, Paraná and Uruguay Rivers in the countries of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. It may also range into Bolivia in the Pilcomayo River (a tributary of the Paraguay River), but this remains unconfirmed. In the north it ranges from the upper Paraguay River basin, including the Pantanal, and south to the lowermost freshwater sections of the Río de la Plata. Unlike some other freshwater rays, it has not been able to spread to the upper Paraná River basin after the Itaipu Dam flooded the Guaíra Falls, which represented a natural barrier to its range.
Wikipedia: “Distribution”
Where it lives
Recorded sightings
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geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
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In the stacks
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Every page naming Potamotrygon brachyura in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 110329.