Raspy River Stingray

6/14/2020

The Fins United Initiative is excited to share with you another #flatshark: the Raspy River Stingray (Potamotrygon scobina). Like many other freshwater stingray, many misidentifications occur but the Raspy River Stingray is especially confused with three rays: P. motoro, P. castexi and P. signata.

Like other freshwater stingrays, their patterns can present themselves in a wide range of colors within juvenile and adult specimens (and adults may present up to four completely different color patterns)! This make ID-ing even harder!

They are a medium to large-sized stingray and are considered a “moderately common endemic freshwater stingray.” Widely found in Northern Brazil (think the mid-lower Amazon basin), they have also been observed in the lower Tocantins River drainage. They have the highest fecundity (up to 16 young per litter) among the potamotrygonid rays. Sometimes these rays are taken for consumption (i.e. food) and in some regions they are caught for ornamental purposes. Like many other freshwater rays, scientists know little about their life history and population data. Reproduction and nursery areas have been observed for this species, specifically in the Marajó Bay region in Brazil.

Further studies are needed to not only learn more about this species, but to see how they are doing due to numerous threats they face day-to-day like habitat degradation, persecution, pollution, ornamental trade and fishery impacts. But because we know so little about them, the IUCN has assessed them as Data Deficient (DD).