Long-tailed river stingray

The long-tailed river stingray (Plesiotrygon iwamae), also known as the antenna ray, is a species of freshwater stingray in the family Potamotrygonidae.

Long-tailed river stingray
Conservation status
Data Deficient (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Chondrichthyes
Subclass:	Elasmobranchii
Order:	Myliobatiformes
Family:	Potamotrygonidae
Genus:	Plesiotrygon
Species:	P. iwamae
Binomial name
Plesiotrygon iwamae R. de S. Rosa, Castello & Thorson, 1987

These animals have a long tail, small eyes, and few pectoral-fin radials.

They eat worms, crustaceans, mollusks, and small bottom fish (such as small catfish). They can detect electrical and chemical signals from prey in mud and sand.

The species was mentioned in 1987 by Hugo P. Castello from Museu de Zoologia, University of São Paulo. Examples were then found in other museums that had been given wrong names or identified incorrectly.

This fish does not appear often in the aquarium trade.

References

• Ricardo S. Rosa; Hugo P. Castello; Thomas B. Thorson (1987). "Plesiotrygon iwamae, a New Genus and Species of Neotropical Freshwater Stingray (Chondrichthyes: Potamotrygonidae)". Copeia: 447–458.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
• Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2011). "Plesiotrygon iwamae" in FishBase. June 2011 version.

Other websites

• Species Description of Plesiotrygon iwamae at www.shark-references.com