Hystrix origin?

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C

Copeina

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Sep 8, 2005
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Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
www.mts.net
LFS received 3 "hystrix" from Guiana yesterday. 2F, 1M.

They spent a few extra days in transit so are really skinny without that lovely hump that a good histrix should have. Beyond that, they look about right with full tails and no tears. The tails are not obscenely long like a retic. I know a lot of rays are (mis)labelled as hystrix, so:

Question: Is the country/area of origin right for true hystrix? :stingray:

These would not be my fist rays, but my geography knowledge is quite poor so fishbase's description of the species coming from the Paraná-Paraguay River basin was of limited use to me. :(

Sorry, no pics.

Thanks,
/Kris
 
I believe that all true hystrix come from Brazil. I recently recieved a peruvian hystrix that I think is a yepezi. You should expect it to be a humerosa, orbi, or yepezi.

However, lets see if anybody agrees:irked:
 
Guyana borders Brazil from what I can find on maps. Peru is on the other side of a mountain range... hence different species I.E. humerosa.

Anyone with real geographic knowledge?

/Kris
 
Hi Kris,

the histrix story is very complicate ...

What we as aquarist call the true histrix is a ray endemic to mid Rio Negro and his tributary, Brazil:

0302-03.jpg


But this ray is not identic with the first description of P. histrix. The locus typus of P. histrix was Buenos Aires, Argentina.

There is a drawing in Shomburgks "Fishes of Guiana" and the ray is named as Trygon histrix:

2plt20.jpg


But they were not sure whether this is histrix or not see the last sentence on that page:
page 180

Scientist say, that the "histrix" rays from Rio Negro are a undescribed species and call them P. cf. histrix or P. sp. "C". Description is underway (for some years now ...).

To make the confusion complete, some rays from Peru are also sold as histrix (aqualog call these rays from Peru yepezi, but this is unpossible because yepezi is endemic to Venezuela, Lake Maracaibo and tributaries ...
 
So for these fish to come from Guyana, they are not the "hobby" histrix as those seem to be from the South where Brazil meets Argentina, and the "true" histrix as you describe are from Rio Negro whuich is many thousands of km's from Guyana with dividing highlands seperating the watersheds.

Interesting...

I'll go back today and get pics. I have an empty tank that would suit them (8x2x2), so as long as they are not reticulatus I think they should come home with me.

Yay rays! :stingray:
/Kris
 
OK - went this morning and spent some more time with them. They had colored up today and ate like little piggies.

No picture required - they are humerosa. :(

I didn't pick them up because I know if I do, the ones I am really after are going to show up and then I'll be stuck with a whack of rays again. Murphy's law is fully functional in my life. :nilly:

Thanks for the info rayman - now I can comment a bit more confidently when talking to the importer next time.

Cheers,
/Kris
 
What are the ones you are looking for?
 
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