Leo/BD questions, Motoro, books?

[Vincent Guerrero]

Hello,

I'm trying to learn as much information about rays as I can but I'm still confused about the following.

- I always thought Leo/BD were Black with White dots, but lately, I've seen a lot around here that are black with Yellow dots. Some of them are not even black but kinda brownish...

- I've been looking for books and so far I've read Freshwater Stingrays: care, breeding, and safety by "Stan Leo" which I liked a lot but I don't see any references about Pearl (Potamotrygon jabuti) or Boesemani (Potamotrygon boesemani) which makes me think this is outdated? other options I've seen were published before 2004 so I'm not sure if I should buy them. Any thoughts? I really want to learn more about Pearl which is the I might get.

- Are Mini-marbeled motoroa a thing ?

Thanks!

 

[Bigfishnut]

Mini marble motoros are certainly real. Good luck getting your hands on one. As far as the Leo/bd thing...usually they have nice white spots when they are mature. Often juveniles will be off colored. I would suspect any Leo with yellow or brown spots as an adult is not pure. Just a guess, someone more knowledgeable may know more. Good luck finding a good up to date book on stingrays. MFK is probably going to be your best source of up to date information on rays. Some of the ray keepers on here should write a book...hint hint Dieselhybrid

 

[Dieselhybrid]

Dr. Richard Ross's book Freshwater Stingrays has some great information. Much of the genus Potamotrygon are very similar. They can hybridize and thrive under similar conditions. Some are far more temperamental and sensitive to stressors than others. Most become more and more stable the more generations in captivity. Pearls are very stable and readily available by captive breeders and import. Boesmani is a more temperamental species. Most that are available are wild caught specimens. Many haven't fared well in captivity and I know of a dozen that died of unknown reasons under the care of very competent keepers. Some keepers have had good results with them, but I wouldn't consider them a beginners stingray. This is based on the challenges they present and of course their cost.

Bigfishnut you're too kind. Plenty know, few share

 

[Vincent Guerrero]

Mini marble motoros are certainly real. Good luck getting your hands on one. As far as the Leo/bd thing...usually they have nice white spots when they are mature. Often juveniles will be off colored. I would suspect any Leo with yellow or brown spots as an adult is not pure. Just a guess, someone more knowledgeable may know more. Good luck finding a good up to date book on stingrays. MFK is probably going to be your best source of up to date information on rays. Some of the ray keepers on here should write a book...hint hint Dieselhybrid

I guess I missed an opportunity. Last year I reached out to someone here who was selling them, I just wasn't ready for rays then. On the BD thing, I guess it depends on the breeder. Ha, I will keep reading here then, this is free and has a bunch of info.

Dr. Richard Ross's book Freshwater Stingrays has some great information. Much of the genus Potamotrygon are very similar. They can hybridize and thrive under similar conditions. Some are far more temperamental and sensitive to stressors than others. Most become more and more stable the more generations in captivity. Pearls are very stable and readily available by captive breeders and import. Boesmani is a more temperamental species. Most that are available are wild caught specimens. Many haven't fared well in captivity and I know of a dozen that died of unknown reasons under the care of very competent keepers. Some keepers have had good results with them, but I wouldn't consider them a beginners stingray. This is based on the challenges they present and of course their cost.

Bigfishnut you're too kind. Plenty know, few share

Thanks dieselhybrid! I might check that book. Thanks for the info on Pearls, I want to buy either a perl or marbled motoros to start so trying to learn about them.