Long-tailed river stingray facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Long-tailed river stingray |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| Phylum: | |
| Class: | |
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| Family: |
Potamotrygonidae
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| Genus: |
Plesiotrygon
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| Species: |
P. iwamae
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| Binomial name | |
| Plesiotrygon iwamae R. de S. Rosa, Castello & Thorson, 1987
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The long-tailed river stingray (Plesiotrygon iwamae), also known as the antenna ray, is a species of freshwater stingray in the family Potamotrygonidae. 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.
Description
These animals have flat bodies, a long tail, small eyes, and few pectoral-fin radials. The river stingray can shed its spines. Sometimes a ray has two stingers - the old one and the new one, growing to replace it. Most South American species have colorful dorsal patterns with spots of different sizes and background colorings of gray, brown or black. Freshwater stingrays can to be about 18 inches (46 centimeters) in diameter. Their tails can be as long as 1 foot (30.5 centimeters) and an inch wide (2.5 centimeters).
Habitat and diet
The usual habitat of the long-tailed river stingray is the fresh water of South America, particularluy the Amazon. In contrast to them, most cartilaginous fish live in a salt water environment.
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.
Reproduction and lifespan
A newborn ray is 3 inches (8 centimeters) wide. A female rau reproduces yearly, with a litter of two to six pups. The gestation period is three months, after which the rays hatch inside the mother's body. The embryos feed on a milky, rich substance produced in the mother's uterus until they are born.
It is currently unkown for how long freshwater stingrays live in the wild. In aquariums, they live between 5 and 10 years.
See also
In Spanish: Raya de cola larga para niños
