MonsterFishKeepers.com

[Miles]

Potamotrygon sp. "Mantilla"

Common Names: Mantilla Ray

Distribution: Brazil (?)

Maximum Size (Disc Width): appx. 24"+(?)

Juvenile Tank Footprint: 60"x18"

Adult Tank Footprint: 96"x36"+

Feeding Habits: P. sp. "Mantilla" tend to have good feeding habits. They usually accept live foods upon arrival, and wean to prepared foods easily. They can be aggressive feeders towards maturity.

Info: Potamotrygon sp. "Mantilla" is an unidentified stingray known for it's sporadic scribbled markings. The origin of the name 'Mantilla' came from Richard Ross, who named it after a fish distributor from Florida named Jose Mantilla. This common name is used widely for a number of unidentified species. It is believed that a specific tributary in Brazil hosts the collection zone of the true Mantilla ray. It is also believed that the true Mantilla ray obtains a smaller maximum size than it's conspecific P. Motoro. Some combination of hybridized rays will produce offspring that are amazingly similar to the pattern of a Mantilla ray, such as Henlei x Motoro. Mantilla Rays are also thought to be wild stingrays that may have been hybridized in a certain river locale, and harvested for the aquarium trade.

For further photos, please check this link below.
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/fo...d.php?t=280445

[Miles]

Potamotrygon sp. "Aparico"

Common Names: Nazca Ray, Aparico Ray, Rio Tigre Motoro

Distribution: Rio Tigre, Peru

Maximum Size (Disc Width): appx. 24"+(?)

Juvenile Tank Footprint: 72"x18"

Adult Tank Footprint: 96"x36"

Feeding Habits: P. sp. "Aparico" tend to have good feeding habits. They usually accept live foods upon arrival, and wean to prepared foods easily. They can be aggressive feeders towards maturity.

Info: Potamotrygon sp. Aparico is not very often seen in the trade. Many believe they could be a wild hybrid, as they are not often available in high numbers. Their limited available increases value and no one has recorded a specimen over 20" thus far. They look very similiar to a hystrix in pattern, but body structure and regionality would likely classify this ray in the Motoro group. True P. cf. Hystrix do not migrate near this specimen, so it not likely to be hybridized with that species of stingray in the wild.

For further photos, please check link below.
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/fo...d.php?t=280450

[Miles]

Potamotrygon Humerosa - "Mosaic"

Common Names: Mosaic River Stingray, Mosaic Ray.

Distribution: Argentina, Venezuela, Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, French
Guyana, Guyana, Peru, Surinam, Paraná-Paraguay, Orinoco, and Amazon River basins.

Maximum Size (Disc Width): appx. 18"+

Juvenile Tank Footprint: 60"x18"

Adult Tank Footprint: 96"x36"

Feeding Habits: P. Humerosa tend to have good feeding habits. This ray is often neglected upon shipment, and can have a hard time being acclimated to foods. Start with live black worms. After parasite treatments are complete, try mixing prepared foods with black worms.

Info: Potamotrygon Humerosa is one of the modest sized river stingrays. Once acclimated, it can be a hardy and delightful ray for a community setting in an aquarium of around 300-400 gallons. It's beautiful and under rated pattern make it a lucky find for any hobbyist. At a juvenile age, it's pattern will often be under developed.

Confusion: Taxonomic work on the family is constrained by the fact that many species of Potamotrygon are poorly described, lack adequate material, or present much intraspecific variation in coloration. This is compounded by generally overlapping meristic and morphometric features among species of Potamotrygon (both other genera are monotypic). Therefore, the approach adopted here has been to not recognize certain species that are inadequately defined at present, or that lack adequate material for proper characterization (e.g. Potamotrygon dumerilii,Potamotrygon humerosa)

[Miles]

Plesiotrgyon Iwamae

Common Names: Antenna River Stingray, Long-Tailed River Ray

Distribution: Ecuador to Belém, Brazil, in the Napo, Solimões, Amazonas and Pará rivers.

Maximum Size (Disc Width): appx. 36"+

Juvenile Tank Footprint: 96x24"

Adult Tank Footprint: 96"x48"+

Feeding Habits: P. Iwamae tend to be very picky eaters. They have tiny mouths and have a hard time weaning to prepared foods. They prefer ghost shrimp and live black worms. Large specimens can be taught to eat prepared seafood after some time in captivity. Malnourishment in Antenna rays is common due to feeding habits and competition.

Info: P. Iwamae is considered one of the 'small-eyed' rays, not in the Potamotrygon Family. However, they are sometimes found in the aquarium trade. They are an ambush predator ray, and are much less active than Potamotrygon. They can be bullied and out competed for food in a community environment. Their elongated tails are susceptible to nipping and damage, if not already previously damaged from shipping. They do best in large aquaria with no tankmates.

[Miles]

Plesiotrgyon Iwamae - "Black Tailed"

Common Names: Black Tailed Antenna River Stingray, Long-Tailed River Ray

Distribution: Ecuador to Belém, Brazil, in the Napo, Solimões, Amazonas and Pará rivers.

Maximum Size (Disc Width): appx. 16"+

Juvenile Tank Footprint: 96x24"

Adult Tank Footprint: 96"x36"

Feeding Habits: P. Iwamae "Black Tail" are not finicky eaters but they have extremely small mouths. Young specimens will eat live brine shrimp and tubifex worms, and adults prefer ghost shrimp and live black worms.

Info: P. Iwamae "Black Tail" are not hard to keep. Just provide them with a tank with no aggressive fish.

[Miles]

Potamotrygon Yepezi

Common Names: Marcaibo River Ray

Distribution: Marcaibo Region, Venezuela

Maximum Size (Disc Width): (?)

Juvenile Tank Footprint: 72x24

Adult Tank Footprint: 96"x36"

Feeding Habits: unknown.

Info: The 'True' Potamotrygon Yepezi is found in the rivers draining into a large body of water called Lake Maracaibo. Lake Maracaibo is the largest lake in south america, and has a straight 31 miles long that connects it to the Gulf of Venezuela.

For further photos, please check link below.
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/fo...d.php?t=280454

[Gr8KarmaSF]

Batman Stingray

Name and Size is dependent upon species affected.

Info: First off, I would like to inform those who still believe Bat-Man Rays can be produced by slicing the disc margin of the stingray when they are young, that you are absolutely incorrect. Stingrays are sensitive animals and they could not endure that type of mutilation. Stingrays also have an amazing ability to regenerate their disc, which would further recognize 'batman rays' to be a developmental disfunction.

Batman Rays are the result of a defect during embryonic development of the disc. The frontal area of the disc fails to fuse together. This morph is very uncommon, and no one to date has been able to reproduce these rays with success. Much like Albino or Xanthic morphs, these rays are a genetic misfit, and are usually only birthed in captivity because the survival rate of a deficient animal in the wild is next to none. This is due to predation and competition for food. The limited surface area of a batman ray disc causes it to hold fewer electroreceptors along with perhaps more difficulties in regulating its temperature, furthur adding to their disadvatages in the wild and challenges in a home aquarium.

Special consideration must be given when adding decor to the tank. Batman rays tend to be more prone to injury due to their limbs easily getting caught among any driftwood, plants, or filtration/heating cords, etc.

These rays move, eat, and act like normal stingrays. Beyond the few that are being kept in captivity, very little is known about the Batman Ray. We can assume that it is a genetic mutation, similar to a 'cleft lip' in a human, and that it is in no way man-made. These stingrays demand a very high price due to rarity.

Feeding: Special care must be provided as they tend to have a harder time competing for food.

* Link for credit --->http://stingraysource.com/StingraySo...ine/batman.htm







Recently there have been disturbing man made attempts to re-create this abnormality. As pictured above compared to the pictures below, natural batman rays tend to have a rounded snout or nose along with rounded "wings" instead of a straight edge cut. Natural batman rays tend to still have a nose tip. Discs in natural batman rays do not fuse towards the front of their head region versus these man made batman rays with straight edge cuts along the middle of their discs. Any man made batman ray is cruel and unnecessary. Any ray undergoing this procedure must endure extreme amounts of pain and will most likely die. Please do not support this practice by purchasing any man made batman rays.

[Bogwoodbruce]

Potamotygon Constellata

Common name: Thorny River stingray

Distribution: Brazil

Maximum Disc size: 18"+

Juvenille Tank footprint - 60x24x24"

Adult tank footprint: 84x30x24

Feeding: A good feederthat will readily accept most foods, they do pick at foods when first introduced to the tank. Favoruites include squid, mussle, prawn and fish.

Info: P.constellata is a very rare species that due to the importation ban in Brazil isnt imported anymore. It has lots of denticles that cover most of the body and tail. It is one of the few rays with white body colouraton

Picture credit Bruce Jones - Fish credit Lindsey Harrison

[Lupin]

Potamotrygon Castexi

Common Names: Jaguar, otorongo, motelo, turtle, galaxy, estrella, hawaiian

Distribution: Mainly Peru but found in parts of Brazil

Maximum Size (Disc Width): appx. 30"+, females get larger.

Juvenile Tank Footprint: 60"x18"

Adult Tank Footprint: 96"x48"

Feeding Habits: P. Castexi tend to have good feeding habits. They usually accept live foods upon arrival, and wean to prepared foods easily. They can be aggressive feeders towards maturity.

Ease of Keeping: P. Castexi are known as the hardiest, easiest to keep ray. However, it's large tank size requirements become a daunting task once the ray grows large.

Info: Potamotrygon Castexi has as many variants if not more than P. Motoro. This ray is very hardy and tolerant to disease. They grow large and are known for their powerful tail. These rays are mainly imported from peru.

For further photos, please check link below.
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/fo...d.php?t=280456