''Potamotrygon'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

freshwater Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the term specifically excludes seawater and brackish water, it does include ...

stingray Stingrays are a group of sea rays, which are cartilaginous fish related to sharks. They are classified in the suborder Myliobatoidei of the order Myliobatiformes and consist of eight families: Hexatrygonidae (sixgill stingray), Plesiobatidae ( ...

s in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Potamotrygonidae River stingrays or freshwater stingrays are Neotropical freshwater fishes of the family (biology), family Potamotrygonidae in the Order (biology), order Myliobatiformes, one of the four orders of Batoidea, batoids, cartilaginous fishes related to ...

native to the rivers of

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

, and sometimes seen in the aquarium trade. Like other stingrays, the fishes of this genus have

venom Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a sti ...

ous barbs at the base of their tails, and their stings are dangerous to humans. It is said that the natives of South America fear the stingray more than they do fear the

piranha A piranha or piraña (, , or ; or , ) is one of a number of freshwater fish in the family Serrasalmidae, or the subfamily Serrasalminae within the tetra family, Characidae in order Characiformes. These fish inhabit South American rivers, ...

. ''Potamotrygon'' vary considerably in color, pattern and size, with the maximum disc width ranging from in ''P. wallacei'' to in ''P. brachyura''.

In the aquarium

Though freshwater stingray of other genera do appear in the trade, most are from ''Potamotrygon''. They are best kept with a deep, sandy substrate, in which they bury themselves, often with only the eyes visible. They are not

territorial A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, particularly belonging or connected to a country, person, or animal. In international politics, a territory is usually either the total area from which a state may extract power resources or a ...

with other animals and can be kept in groups, provided a large enough aquarium is provided. They are

carnivorous A carnivore , or meat-eater (Latin, ''caro'', genitive ''carnis'', meaning meat or "flesh" and ''vorare'' meaning "to devour"), is an animal or plant whose food and energy requirements derive from animal tissues (mainly muscle, fat and other sof ...

bottom feeders and require strong filtration as they are rather sensitive to water conditions. Many species of stingray have been bred in

captivity Captivity, or being held captive, is a state wherein humans or other animals are confined to a particular space and prevented from leaving or moving freely. An example in humans is imprisonment. Prisoners of war are usually held in captivity by a ...

and males can be determined by the presence of

clasper In biology, a clasper is a male anatomical structure found in some groups of animals, used in mating. Male cartilaginous fish have claspers formed from the posterior portion of their pelvic fin which serve to channel semen into the female's c ...

s as in other

Chondrichthyans Chondrichthyes (; ) is a class that contains the cartilaginous fishes that have skeletons primarily composed of cartilage. They can be contrasted with the Osteichthyes or ''bony fishes'', which have skeletons primarily composed of bone tissue. C ...

Species

There are currently more than 30 recognized extant (living) species in this genus: * ''

Potamotrygon adamastor ''Potamotrygon'' is a genus of freshwater stingrays in the family Potamotrygonidae native to the rivers of South America, and sometimes seen in the aquarium trade. Like other stingrays, the fishes of this genus have venomous barbs at the base ...

'' Fontenelle, J. P. & de Carvalho, M. R., 2017 (Branco river stingray)Fontenelle, J. P. & de Carvalho, M. R. (2017)
Systematic revision of the "Potamotrygon scobina" Garman, 1913 species-complex (Chondrichthyes: Myliobatiformes: Potamotrygonidae), with the description of three new freshwater stingray species from Brazil and comments on their distribution and biogeography.
''Zootaxa, 4310 (1): 1–63.'' * ''

Potamotrygon albimaculata ''Potamotrygon'' is a genus of freshwater stingrays in the family Potamotrygonidae native to the rivers of South America, and sometimes seen in the aquarium trade. Like other stingrays, the fishes of this genus have venomous barbs at the base ...

'' M. R. de Carvalho, 2016 (Itaituba river stingray or Tapajós river stingray)Carvalho, M.R.d. (2016)
Description of two extraordinary new species of freshwater stingrays of the genus ''Potamotrygon'' endemic to the rio Tapajós basin, Brazil (Chondrichthyes: Potamotrygonidae), with notes on other Tapajós stingrays.
''Zootaxa, 4167 (1): 1–63.'' * ''

Potamotrygon amandae ''Potamotrygon'' is a genus of freshwater stingrays in the family Potamotrygonidae native to the rivers of South America, and sometimes seen in the aquarium trade. Like other stingrays, the fishes of this genus have venomous barbs at the base ...

'' Loboda & M. R. de Carvalho, 2013 (Amanda's river stingray)Loboda, T.S. & Carvalho, M.R.d. (2013)
Systematic revision of the ''Potamotrygon motoro'' (Müller & Henle, 1841) species complex in the Paraná-Paraguay basin, with description of two new ocellated species (Chondrichthyes: Myliobatiformes: Potamotrygonidae).
''Neotropical Ichthyology, 11 (4): 693–737.'' * ''

Potamotrygon amazona ''Potamotrygon'' is a genus of freshwater stingrays in the family Potamotrygonidae native to the rivers of South America, and sometimes seen in the aquarium trade. Like other stingrays, the fishes of this genus have venomous barbs at the base ...

'' Fontenelle, J. P. & de Carvalho, M. R., 2017 (Upper Amazon raspy river stingray) * ''

Potamotrygon boesemani ''Potamotrygon'' is a genus of freshwater stingrays in the family Potamotrygonidae native to the rivers of South America, and sometimes seen in the aquarium trade. Like other stingrays, the fishes of this genus have venomous barbs at the base ...

'' R. S. Rosa, M. R. de Carvalho & Wanderley, 2008 (Boeseman's river stingray)Rosa, R.S., Carvalho, M.R.d. & Wanderley, C.d.A. (2008): ''Potamotrygon boesemani'' (Chondrichthyes: Myliobatiformes: Potamotrygonidae), a new species of Neotropical freshwater stingray from Surinam. ''Neotropical Ichthyology, 6 (1): 1–8.'' * ''

Potamotrygon brachyura The short-tailed river stingray (''Potamotrygon brachyura'') is a species of river stingray (family Potamotrygonidae) native to the Río de la Plata Basin in South America.Oddone, M.C., G. Velasco & G. Rincon (2008). Occurrence of freshwater stin ...

'' ( Günther, 1880) (Short-tailed river stingray) * ''

Potamotrygon constellata ''Potamotrygon'' is a genus of freshwater stingrays in the family Potamotrygonidae native to the rivers of South America, and sometimes seen in the aquarium trade. Like other stingrays, the fishes of this genus have venomous barbs at the base ...

'' ( Vaillant, 1880) (Thorny river stingray) * ''

Potamotrygon falkneri ''Potamotrygon falkneri'', the largespot river stingray or reticulated freshwater stingray, is a species of freshwater stingray in the family Potamotrygonidae from tropical and subtropical South America. It is sometimes seen in the aquarium tr ...

'' Castex & Maciel, 1963 (Large-spot river stingray) * '' Potamotrygon garmani'' Fontenelle, J. P. & de Carvalho, M. R., 2017 (Garman's river stingray) * ''

Potamotrygon henlei The bigtooth river stingray or Tocantins River ray (''Potamotrygon henlei'') is a species of freshwater fish in the family Potamotrygonidae. It is endemic to the lower Tocantins basin and Araguaia basin in Brazil,Carvalho, M.R.d. (2016): Potamot ...

'' ( Castelnau, 1855) (Big-tooth river stingray) * ''

Potamotrygon histrix The porcupine river stingray (''Potamotrygon histrix'', sometimes incorrectly modified to ''Potamotrygon hystrix'') is a species of river stingray in the family Potamotrygonidae, the type of the ''Potamotrygon'' genus. It is found in the basin ...

'' ( J. P. Müller &

Henle Henle can refer to: * Friedrich Gustav Jakob Henle, a German physician, pathologist and anatomist (1809–1885) ** Loop of Henle in the kidney, named after Henle *Fritz Henle, a photographer, known as "Mr. Rollei" for his use of the 2.25" square for ...

, 1834) (Porcupine river stingray) * '' Potamotrygon humerosa''

Garman Garman is a surname or first name. Notable people with the name include: Sports * Ann Garman, All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player * Judi Garman (born 1954), American softball coach * Mike Garman (born 1949), American baseball pla ...

, 1913 (Rough-back river stingray) * ''

Potamotrygon jabuti ''Potamotrygon'' is a genus of fresh water, freshwater stingrays in the family (biology), family Potamotrygonidae native to the rivers of South America, and sometimes seen in the aquarium trade. Like other stingrays, the fishes of this genus hav ...

'' M. R. de Carvalho, 2016 (Pearl river stingray) * ''

Potamotrygon leopoldi The Xingu River ray, white-blotched river stingray, or polka-dot stingray (''Potamotrygon leopoldi'') is a species of freshwater fish in the family Potamotrygonidae. It is endemic to the Xingu River basin in Brazil and as such prefers clear wat ...

'' Castex & Castello, 1970 (White-blotched river stingray) * ''

Potamotrygon limai ''Potamotrygon'' is a genus of freshwater stingrays in the family Potamotrygonidae native to the rivers of South America, and sometimes seen in the aquarium trade. Like other stingrays, the fishes of this genus have venomous barbs at the base ...

'' Fontenelle, J. P. C. B. Silva & M. R. de Carvalho, 2014 (Zé Lima river stingray)Fontenelle, J.P., Silva, J.P.C.B.d. & Carvalho, M.R.d. (2014): ''Potamotrygon limai'', sp. nov., a new species of freshwater stingray from the upper Madeira River system, Amazon basin (Chondrichthyes: Potamotrygonidae). ''Zootaxa, 3765 (3): 249–268.'' * ''

Potamotrygon magdalenae ''Potamotrygon magdalenae'', the Magdalena River stingray, is a species of freshwater fish in the family Potamotrygonidae. It is found only in the Magdalena and Atrato basins in Colombia, but it is locally abundant and among the predominant fis ...

'' ( A. H. A. Duméril, 1865) (Magdalena river stingray) * ''

Potamotrygon marinae ''Potamotrygon'' is a genus of freshwater stingrays in the family Potamotrygonidae native to the rivers of South America, and sometimes seen in the aquarium trade. Like other stingrays, the fishes of this genus have venomous barbs at the base ...

'' Deynat, 2006 (Marina's river stingray) * ''

Potamotrygon marquesi ''Potamotrygon'' is a genus of fresh water, freshwater stingrays in the family (biology), family Potamotrygonidae native to the rivers of South America, and sometimes seen in the aquarium trade. Like other stingrays, the fishes of this genus hav ...

'' Silva & Loboda, 2019 * ''

Potamotrygon motoro The ocellate river stingray (''Potamotrygon motoro''), also known as the peacock-eye stingray or black river stingray, is a species of freshwater stingray in the family Potamotrygonidae. It was the first species to be described in the family and ...

'' ( J. P. Müller &

, 1841) (Ocellate river stingray) * ''

Potamotrygon ocellata ''Potamotrygon'' is a genus of freshwater stingrays in the family Potamotrygonidae native to the rivers of South America, and sometimes seen in the aquarium trade. Like other stingrays, the fishes of this genus have venomous barbs at the base ...

'' ( Engelhardt, 1912) (Red-blotched river stingray) * ''

Potamotrygon orbignyi ''Potamotrygon orbignyi'', the smooth back river stingray, is a species of river stingray in the family Potamotrygonidae. It is found in the Amazon and Orinoco River basins in South America. Etymology The genus name ''Potamotrygon'' comes fro ...

'' ( Castelnau, 1855) (Smooth-back river stingray) * ''

Potamotrygon pantanensis ''Potamotrygon'' is a genus of fresh water, freshwater stingrays in the family (biology), family Potamotrygonidae native to the rivers of South America, and sometimes seen in the aquarium trade. Like other stingrays, the fishes of this genus hav ...

'' Loboda & M. R. de Carvalho, 2013 (Pantanal river stingray) * ''

Potamotrygon rex ''Potamotrygon rex'', the great river stingray, is a species of freshwater stingray belonging to the family Potamotrygonidae, native to South America in the Neotropical region. ''P. rex'', along with some other ''Potamotrygon'' species form a ...

'' M. R. de Carvalho, 2016 (Great river stingray)Carvalho, M.R.d. (2016): ''Potamotrygon rex'', a new species of Neotropical freshwater stingray (Chondrichthyes: Potamotrygonidae) from the middle and upper rio Tocantins, Brazil, closely allied to ''Potamotrygon henlei'' (Castelnau, 1855). ''Zootaxa, 4150 (5): 537–565.'' * ''

Potamotrygon schroederi ''Potamotrygon'' is a genus of fresh water, freshwater stingrays in the family (biology), family Potamotrygonidae native to the rivers of South America, and sometimes seen in the aquarium trade. Like other stingrays, the fishes of this genus hav ...

'' Fernández-Yépez, 1958 (Flower ray or rosette river stingray) * ''

Potamotrygon schuhmacheri ''Potamotrygon schuhmacheri'', the Parana river stingray, is a species of fish in the family Potamotrygonidae. It is found in the Paraná and Paraguay River basins in Argentina, Paraguay, and possibly Brazil. Its natural habitat is rivers. It is ...

'' Castex, 1964 (Parana river stingray) * '' Potamotrygon scobina''

, 1913 (Raspy river stingray) * ''

Potamotrygon signata ''Potamotrygon'' is a genus of freshwater stingrays in the family Potamotrygonidae native to the rivers of South America, and sometimes seen in the aquarium trade. Like other stingrays, the fishes of this genus have venomous barbs at the base ...

, 1913 (Parnaiba river stingray) * ''

Potamotrygon tatianae ''Potamotrygon tatianae'', the Tatiana's river stingray, is a species of river stingray (Potamotrygonidae) endemic to the Madre de Dios River and upper Madeira River basins in Peru. Description This river stingray's oval disc is longer than wide ...

'' J. P. C. B. Silva & M. R. de Carvalho, 2011 (Tatiana's river stingray) * ''

Potamotrygon tigrina ''Potamotrygon tigrina'', also known as the tiger river stingray, is a species of freshwater ray in the family Potamotrygonidae. This Endangered species, endangered species is Endemism, endemic to Blackwater river, black- and Whitewater river (ri ...

'' M. R. de Carvalho, Sabaj Pérez &

Lovejoy ''Lovejoy'' is a British television comedy-drama mystery series, based on the novels by John Grant under the pen name Jonathan Gash. The show, which ran to 71 episodes over six series, was originally broadcast on BBC1 between 10 January 19 ...

, 2011 (Tiger river stingray)Carvalho, M.R.d., Sabaj Pérez, M.H. & Lovejoy, N.R. (2011): ''Potamotrygon tigrina'', a new species of freshwater stingray from the upper Amazon basin, closely related to ''Potamotrygon schroederi'' Fernandez-Yépez, 1958 (Chondrichthyes: Potamotrygonidae). ''Zootaxa, 2827: 1–30.'' * '' Potamotrygon wallacei'' M. R. de Carvalho, R. S. Rosa & M. L. G. Araújo, 2016 (Cururu ray)Carvalho, M.R.d., Rosa, R.S. & Araújo, M.L.G. (2016): A new species of Neotropical freshwater stingray (Chondrichthyes: Potamotrygonidae) from the Rio Negro, Amazonas, Brazil: the smallest species of ''Potamotrygon''. ''Zootaxa, 4107 (4): 566-586.'' * ''

Potamotrygon yepezi ''Potamotrygon'' is a genus of freshwater stingrays in the family Potamotrygonidae native to the rivers of South America, and sometimes seen in the aquarium trade. Like other stingrays, the fishes of this genus have venomous barbs at the base ...

'' Castex & Castello, 1970 (Maracaibo river stingray)

Extinct (fossil) species

Three species are extinct and only known from

Tertiary Tertiary ( ) is a widely used but obsolete term for the geologic period from 66 million to 2.6 million years ago. The period began with the demise of the non-avian dinosaurs in the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event, at the start ...

fossil remains:Chabain, Jules; Pierre-Olivier Antoine; Ali J. Altamirano-Sierra; Laurent Marivaux; François Pujos; Rodolfo Salas Gismondi; Sylvain Adnet (2017). Cenozoic batoids from Contamana (Peruvian Amazonia) with focus on freshwater potamotrygonins and their paleoenvironmental significance. Geobios 50: 389–400. *†''

Potamotrygon canaanorum ''Potamotrygon'' is a genus of freshwater stingrays in the family Potamotrygonidae native to the rivers of South America, and sometimes seen in the aquarium trade. Like other stingrays, the fishes of this genus have venomous barbs at the base ...

'' *†'' Potamotrygon contamanensis'' *†''

Potamotrygon rajachloeae ''Potamotrygon'' is a genus of fresh water, freshwater stingrays in the family (biology), family Potamotrygonidae native to the rivers of South America, and sometimes seen in the aquarium trade. Like other stingrays, the fishes of this genus hav ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q139492 Freshwater fish genera Ray genera Taxa named by Samuel Garman