The taxonomy of the black river stingrays is very confusing. Three scientifically described species do exist:
Potamotrygon henlei (described from the Rio Tocantins), P. leopoldi (described from the Rio Xingu), and P. garrapa (described from the Rio Branco).
In P. henlei several varieties exist that possibly represent different, separate species. All specimens from the Rio Tocantins have large, white spots. Nevertheless the fish from the Rio Tocantins represent two different species that cannot be told apart externally, but only by studying the teeth. These are very different and the feeding habits of both species are very different, too. P. henlei from the Rio Tocantins can currently be imported legally from Brazil.
The very beautiful small spotted variety from the Rio Tapajós (the city of Itaituba is situated at the Tapajós) is prohibited for exportation currently. So these fish are available only via bred specimens. We are glad that we can offer three of them now.
Wether the Tapajós/Itaituba fish belong to the biological species P. henlei or not is under investigation. Hobbyists call them P14. This is a bad decision, for the “real” P14 is a variety of P. leopoldi from the Xingu, but we can do nothing against it.
We are happy that even so special fish as these large-growing black stingrays are (they become at least 30-40 cm broad and need a real lot of space) are bred by specialized breeders and so the wonderful animals stay available – at least in small numbers – for the hobby.
For our customers: the fish have code 282413 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
Lexicon: Potamotrygon: means “river Trygon”; Trygon is the name for stingrays used in ancient Greece. henlei: dedication name for the important anatomist Friedrich Gustav Jakob Henle (1809 – 1885).
Text & photos: Frank Schäfer
| Angaben zum Tier | |
|---|---|
| Herkunft | Nachzucht / bred |
| Verfügbare Größe in cm | 15 |
