Elasmobranchii (sharks and rays) >
Myliobatiformes (Stingrays) >
Potamotrygonidae (River stingrays) > Potamotrygoninae
Etymology: Potamotrygon: Greek, potamos = river + Greek, trygon = a sting ray (Ref. 45335).
Eponymy: This is a toponym referring to the Río Magdalena, western Colombia, where these species are found. (Ref. 128868), visit book page.
More on author: Duméril.
Issue
Teshima & Takeshita (1992) studied the reproductive biology of this species, and found that males are usually reproductively mature at 17 to 19 cm DW (the holotype is an adult male of 15 cm DW), and that females are sexually mature between 17 and 21 cm DW and produce one embryo per uterus (born at 10 cm DW). Females give birth throughout the year. Additional references: Castex & Suilar (1965), Thorson et al. (1983a), Rosa (1985a), Compagno & Cook (1995).
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Freshwater; benthopelagic. Tropical
South America: Magdalena and Atrato River basins.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 35.0 cm WD male/unsexed; (Ref. 36687); max. published weight: 755.10 g (Ref. 96636)
Prefers shallow muddy bottoms with turbid waters (Ref. 26543). Feeds on insect larvae (Ref. 26543).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Compagno, L.J.V., 1999. Checklist of living elasmobranchs. p. 471-498. In W.C. Hamlett (ed.) Sharks, skates, and rays: the biology of elasmobranch fishes. Johns Hopkins University Press, Maryland. (Ref. 35766)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Tools
Special reports
Download XML
Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.01000 (0.00244 - 0.04107), b=3.04 (2.81 - 3.27), in cm total length, based on all LWR estimates for this body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 3.2 ±0.40 se; based on food items.
Resilience (Ref.
120179): Very Low, minimum population doubling time more than 14 years (Assuming Fec<10).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): High vulnerability (58 of 100).