Occurrence report of Himantura schmardae (Chondrichthyes: Dasyatidae) off northern Brazil

Authors

  • Maurício Pinto de Almeida Doutorando do Programa de Pós-graduação em Zoologia, Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi (MPEG)
  • Patricia Charvet Almeida Colaboradora MPEG, SENAI-PR, Projeto Trygon
  • Getulio Rincon Bolsista DTI/CNPq - UNESP Rio Claro -
  • Ronaldo Barthem Pesquisador do Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi (MPEG)

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.32360/acmar.v41i2.6068

Keywords:

chupare stingray, Himantura schmardae, occurrence report, Amazon River’s mouth.

Abstract

The distribution of the species of genus  Himantura is known for the Indo-Pacific region and Central America  (Atlantic and Pacific Oceans) in freshwater and estuaries. This is the first occurrence report of  Himantura schmardae on the Brazilian coastal waters. Four specimens were caught with bottom trawl nets in September, 1996 and April, 1997  in Amazon River’s mouth. An immature male specimen with 128 cm in total length and disc width of 54 cm in now  deposited in the Ichthyological Collection of Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi (Belém, Pará State, Brazil) under the register  number MPEG 3547.  H. schmardae is commonly called chupare stingray and it is regionally known as arraia-redonda  (round ray). The record of this species in the Amazon River’s mouth might be significant in helping clarify one of the  hypotheses about the origin of the freshwater stingrays (Potamotrygonidae).

Published

2008-11-01

Issue

Section

Artigos originais